The Portland Rose Festival marquee event, the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade, is back for the first time since 2019 – though it looked different this year, with a limited-scale route that stuck to the east side of the Willamette River. It was the first time since 1948 that the parade did not go to the city center. The parade, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, typically runs four miles from the Colosseum Veterans Memorial across the Burnside Bridge and through downtown Portland. This year he ran just two miles, from the Colosseum to the Lloyd Center in northeastern Portland. Without the popular downtown corridors, observers of the parade gathered around the Rose Quarter, the Oregon Convention Center, and the Lloyd Center, where public transportation provided easy transportation to the large event. Near the beginning of the parade were Nina and Jim Pollock, longtime Portlanders who have been coming to the parade for 42 years. They said that this year there were clearly fewer spectators than in previous years, something they blamed primarily on the weather. “It really spilled yesterday,” said Jim Pollock. “We looked at AccuWeather this morning to see how much rain we would have. That’s how we brought our umbrellas. “ The Pollocks said the new route did not affect them in the slightest. They always find a place near the Memorial Coliseum, and they did it again this year. The fact that the parade did not go to the city center did not matter to them, although it was certainly a big change for others. The Rose Festival Foundation said the changes this year were due to the city’s lack of resources, particularly the lack of Portland police officers to work on the parade. The Portland Police Department, which has reported staff shortages for years, estimated that it had about 200 fewer certified officers this year than in 2019, the last time the Grand Flower Parade took place. Rich Jarvis, a spokesman for the Rose Festival Foundation, said the decision to shorten the parade was purely a matter of resources and not of concern for downtown Portland, which hosted the festival’s Starlight Parade last weekend. “Once we were presented with the reality of the limited resources available from the city, we knew we had to shorten the route to respect the ability to be able to present the parade safely and securely,” Jarvis said. Portland Police Department spokesman Kevin Allen said he could not reveal how many officers were deployed to work on the parade, but said they remain mobile and available to deal with any other issues that may arise. Portland Officers from the Portland area appeared at Grand Floral to assist, including the offices of the Multnomah and Clackamas County Sheriffs, as well as the Gresham and Hillsboro police stations. There was also a presence from TriMet traffic police and the Portland tram, there to allow trains and trolleys to cross the parade route. Those who gathered to watch the parade saw about the same number of floats, mini-boats, parade bands and clowns as in previous years, despite the shortened route. That meant there was a risk that the parade would be blocked along the way, said Marilyn Clint, head of operations for the Portland Rose Festival. “A parade is an accordion, just as traffic is an accordion,” Clint said. On Saturday, the Grand Floral Parade accordion seemed to be very crowded, with frequent stops and starts along the way. The One More Time Around Marching Band, which started the parade, took about 90 minutes to reach the end of the route, members said. But the organizers of the parade considered it a great success, everything is considered. “Overall, despite some common issues, it was a fantastic parade,” Clint said after the event. “I am grateful for all the work and dedication of so many people.” The spectators seemed to agree. Tylor Hadley and Jon Laleg stumbled into the parade on Saturday morning after leaving their home near the track. And although they did not plan to attend a parade, they both left the stage fascinated. “Everything was riveting,” Hadley said. “This will undoubtedly be the highlight of my weekend.” Clint said that while no decision has been made on future Grand Floral parades, the shortened route to the east side could become the new normal. In addition to the city’s limited resources, there are practical issues to consider, such as the final replacement of the Burnside Bridge. Clint said it was important to start the parade at the Memorial Coliseum, even if it anchored the parade on the east side of the city, making it a major determinant of the route in the future. “Very few places in Portland offer the same number of resources you can find at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum,” Clint said. “However, this will be weighed against any other thought when the leadership determines where we will go in the time parade.” The changes upset generations of tradition in Portland, although many loyalists at the parade seemed happy to see the procession again. Tiffanylynn Hatton, who attended the parade with her mother and her three children, said going to the Grand Floral Parade was a lifelong tradition. The only years she missed were the years when the parade was canceled due to the pandemic. “It was weird. I felt like I was breaking a family tradition,” she said of those lost parades. a place on the east side of town – a move he said was different, but not bad. “We are happy to have it back,” Hatton said of the parade. “Really happy to have it back.” – Jamie Hale [email protected]; 503-294-4077; @Donald Trump – Zella Hanson; [email protected]
