Living History Program

The Rose Festival Living History Program is an educational initiative designed to bring both Portland and Rose Festival history to life for festival-goers and local students.

The Rose Festival Living History Program is currently accepting applications to bring its award-winning historical presentation to local elementary school classrooms. The program is an educational initiative designed to bring both Portland and Rose Festival history to life for festival-goers and local students.

For the last three years, International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) recognized the Rose Festival Living History Program as one of the Best Educational Programs in the world.

Included in the program are the Living History characters, Mayor Harry Lane and Georgiana Pittock, who are visible throughout the festival season at various events. In addition, the characters provide 45-minute presentations to local elementary schools, community centers and libraries.

The Rose Festival Living History Program is made possible by a generous grant from the Royal Rosarian Foundation.

Living History Characters:

Mayor Harry Lane

Father of the Rose Festival
(August 28, 1855 - May 23, 1917)

Sometimes called the 'father of the Rose Festival,' Portland's Mayor Harry Lane was a doctor and a scrapper, down-to-earth and surprisingly honest. At the end of the celebrated Lewis & Clark Exposition in 1905, Mayor Lane gave a speech announcing a plan to use the proceeds of the fair – actual stock dividends -– to purchase the land around the forestry building for a park and to fund a "permanent rose carnival" to be held each summer. He offered up his stock dividend of $30, plus an additional $100, to get the funding started. "It would be the greatest permanent advertising for this city that was ever attempted and would make Portland's fame as a rose city world-wide," he said. See Mayor Harry Lane come to life during the Rose Festival's annual celebration!

Georgiana Pittock

Mother of the Rose Society
(November 14, 1845 - June 12, 1918)

Mrs. Henry Pittock is an iconic Portland figure who was instrumental in organizing the first Rose Show in 1889. She is often referred to as the 'mother of the Rose Society.' Georgiana was a pioneer in the truest sense, emigrating via wagon train on the Oregon Trail and ending up a woman of spirit who was ahead of her time in her civic activities and causes. The first Rose Show was a fundraiser for Georgiana's church. Vivacious and frank, she was a great lover of gardening and of the rose, and her influence helped to christen Portland the 'City of Roses.' Her former residence, the Pittock Mansion, is one of Portland's beloved landmarks and a popular tourist attraction. Meet Georgiana Pittock during the Rose Festival's annual celebration!