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Make Vroom for More Rose Festival!

June 9, 2009

Even though the Waterfront Village is now closed for business until next year, Rose Festival events continue! Coming up is a weekend of exciting auto racing with the Rose Cup Races presented by Temp-Control Mechanical Corp. The races run June 12 - 14 at Portland International Raceway at West Delta Park.

It is all about the cars this weekend as classic show cars meet modern racers. Race fans can see practice and qualifying until 6:00 p.m., then check out the Friday Night Drags starting at 7:00 p.m., the Rose Cup Cruise-In on Saturday, Saturday Night Drags starting at 7:00 p.m., and the Sunday Festival Trophy Race presented by RothSport Racing at 12:00 noon.

The 49th running of the Rose Cup Race features the only West Coast stop for the newly-resurrected Trans-Am Series, with ground-pounding muscle cars going head to head in what is sure to be one of the most exciting Rose Cup runs in years. The Fluge Global Adventures Rose Cup Classic, round five of the Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series starts at 2:55 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.

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The season of the Rose continues through June with affordable, accessible fun events for everyone on every weekend.

The History & Roses Tour presented by Windermere still has many great locations, including this Saturday's special tour of sites in historic Oregon City in honor of Oregon's 150th birthday.

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There are several great Rose Festival Sanctioned Events still to come, like the Rose Festival Rifle Matches, the Run/Walk for Epilepsy, Rose City Delta Park Pow Wow and Encampment; Wine, Cheese & All That Jazz at Rockaway Beach; the Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival; Good in the Neighborhood Multi-Cultural Music & Food Festival; and the Salem World Beat Festival.

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See the Results for the 2009 Rose Festival!

June 8, 2009

After three parades (the Portland General Electric/SOLV Starlight Parade, Fred Meyer Junior Parade and KeyBank Grand Floral Parade), the Regence Grand Floral Walk, the Queen's Coronation presented by Pacific Power and MusicFest, the Rose Festival has numerous awards and results to share!

See the results of the 2009 Grand Floral Parade:
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See the Costume Contest winners of the 2009 Regence Grand Floral Walk:
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See the 2009 Rose Festival Queen, Rachel Seeman:
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See the results of the 2009 Junior Parade:
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See the results of the 2009 Starlight Parade:
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See the results of the 2009 MusicFest:
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And be sure to sign up to receive our Newsletter, via email!
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Don't Miss Another Weekend of Rose Festival Fun!

June 5, 2009

The Rose Festival excitement continues this weekend, starting with BandFest at PGE Park, Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

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Saturday begins with the Queen's Coronation presented by Pacific Power at the Memorial Coliseum (tickets are still available), where one of the members of the Court of 15 will be crowned the new Rose Festival Queen!

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This is followed by the Regence Grand Floral Walk (you can still register to participate), with walkers heading out on the route with the parade not far behind them!

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The KeyBank Grand Floral Parade is on the heels of the Walk, with amazing variety, lovely floats, wagons and horses and llamas and much more! Tickets are still available to view the parade inside the Memorial Coliseum or outside in the bleachers.

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And Waterfront Village will be in full swing Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- with exciting exhibits, entertainment, FUNTASTIC rides, great food and much more!

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Walkers Can Still Register for the Regence Grand Floral Walk!

June 4, 2009

It's not too late to register to 'Walk Where Roses Tread' -- walking the same path that will be taken by the same path as our floral floats, marching bands and Rose Festival Princesses -- the Grand Floral Parade route!

There are two walk options, the full four-mile walk, or a shorter two-mile version.

The walk begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. this coming Saturday, June 6.

A portion of each registration will go to benefit The Dougy Center.

Groups of 25 or more enjoy a special discounted registration rate!

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D.B. Cooper Visits Portland Rose Festival Events

May 31, 2009

Have you seen a familiar person lurking around Rose Festival events this year? Carrying his briefcase and dragging his parachute behind him, D.B. Cooper decided to drop in -- and you never know where you might see him!

D.B. was chased through Waterfront Village on Friday night (May 29), during the amazing FREEZE, and was also seen Saturday night (May 30), wandering down the route of the PGE/SOLV Starlight Parade, shaking hands, posing for photos and talking to his many fans!

Be sure to search this website for the HIDDEN D.B. Cooper page! Look for the tiny man parachuting down, then CLICK HIM!

If YOU have 'Photo Evidence' of any D.B. Cooper sighting, send it to his email and you might see your photo shared here at the Rose Festival website! Plus you'll be entered in a contest to win a COOL prize packages! The email address is: dbcooper@rosefestival.org

Buy a Sweet Treat and Support the Rose Festival

May 30, 2009

Paradise Bakery & Café is teaming up with the Portland Rose Festival Foundation. You can help support the Festival by purchasing an official Rose Festival cookie box of chipper cookies for only $2.95. Paradise Bakery & Café will give the Portland Rose Festival Foundation 50% of the proceeds from chipper box sales during the festival (May 22 - June 7).

All Paradise products are baked fresh daily, made from scratch and use only the finest quality ingredients. You can visit one of four local Oregon stores (Bridgeport Village, Essex House, Lloyd Center and Pioneer Place) to pick up a delicious box of chipper cookies. And if supporting the Festival in a sweet way isn't enough, Paradise Bakery will give a 2-for-1 admission coupon for the Waterfront Village for each chipper box sold.

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Rose Festival Opens on Friday -- the Festival and City Put the Bloom on Portland's New Rose

May 20, 2009

With the new rose sign looming above and Princesses and Rosarians gathering below, the 2009 Portland Rose Festival will throw open its doors to a brand new season on a brand new weekend, starting this Friday (May 22, at 4:30 p.m.). Visitors will enjoy free admission and be treated to Funtastic rides, tasty cuisine and the mysterious Temple of the Tangier Tiger. After the sun sets, there will be a historic light show never before seen in downtown Portland.

The Opening Celebration officially kicks off at 8:00 p.m. and includes a free outdoor performance by the Curtis Salgado Band at the John Yeon building (the new Rose Festival home). Following welcoming speeches, the public will see Portland's downtown bridges lit with a rosy glow! City Commissioner Nick Fish and 2008 Rose Festival Queen Marshawna Williams will throw the switch on Portland's newest icon -- the Portland Rose -- mounted on the kiosk adjacent to the Yeon Building. Finishing off the merriment is Rose Festival's traditional fireworks display.

For the first time ever, the Rose Festival will open for business on Memorial Day weekend, giving everyone an extra weekend of fun! Carrying on the festival's always-strong patriotic fervor, Monday (May 25) will be our first-ever Memorial Day celebration, beginning with the Danner Memorial Day March. Other elements include a commemoration ceremony, a White House-endorsed 'Moment of Remembrance,' a jet fly-over and impressive 21-canon salute. Following the ceremony, Waterfront Village visitors will experience a free-with-admission BI-MART Remembrance Concert, (featuring singer Amy Clawson). All current and former United States military personnel (and their families) receive free admission (with valid military ID) to Waterfront Village, thanks to TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

Memorial Day weekend is just the beginning, as the Rose Festival presents three different themed weekends at Waterfront Village: Remembrance (presented by TriWest Healthcare Alliance --May 22-25), Revelry (presented by the Delta Airlines SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express -- May 28-31) and Roses (presented by Lay's® Brand Potato Chips -- June 3-7).

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KeyBank and Rose Festival Partner in a Pledge to Be Positive

May 19, 2009

In today's challenging economic times, it's important for us as friends, family and community members to stay positive. KeyBank, the title sponsor of the Rose Festival's cornerstone event, the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade, is joining the festival in urging people to make a pledge to be positive.

Go to a local KeyBank branch starting on May 18 and sign a pledge card with your idea of how YOU can be positive with friends, family or in your local community. Your pledge will be displayed at KeyBank -- and may end up on this website!

Up to 2,000 of the first people to fill out a pledge card will receive a $30 ticket to watch the 2009 KeyBank Grand Floral Parade live inside the Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, June 6.

Examples of pledges could run the gamut, from personal to philanthropic. "Some people might decide to volunteer with local nonprofits or neighborhood groups," said Brian Rice, President for KeyBank in Oregon and Southwest Washington. "A family might spend time together cleaning up a local park, or a father might spend more time reading with the kids. These are just a few of the ways individuals can make a pledge to be positive. There are as many ideas as there are people."

KeyBank signed on as a key partner of the Rose Festival in 2008, as the title sponsor of the festival's most popular event, the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade.

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Festival Selects Distinguished Oregonian as Grand Marshal for Keybank Grand Floral Parade

May 18, 2009

The Portland Rose Festival visited Sisters High School in Sisters, Oregon today to announce that Jack McGowan (former head of SOLV) has been selected the 2009 Grand Marshal for the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade. Mayor Lon Kellstrom -- along with school and city dignitaries --joined the Festival in paying tribute to the man who has helped keep Oregon one of the nation's most livable states!

"This year's Rose Festival theme is Bridging Communities," said Robert Hansen, President of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation. "As Jack has shown us, not only does this mean reaching out to our neighbors, but with our neighbors we can build a bridge to a cleaner and healthier world for the future."

"Jan and I feel this is the icing on the cake after leading SOLV for 18 years and a great partnership with the Rose Festival, which continues to give to all Oregonians," said McGowan. "It is all of our responsibility to make Oregon a little bit better."

From 1990-2008, Jack and his wife Jan were Co-Directors of SOLV. During their tenure the McGowans managed SOLV’s expansion from a staff of one to 26 -- and its budget from $28,000 to approximately $2.2 million. Volunteer engagements grew from 3,000 to an average of 80,000 per year represented in over 250 Oregon communities. SOLV is now considered the largest volunteer non-profit organization in the Pacific Northwest.

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Time to Recruit for the New 2009 Rose Festival Video Team!

May 4, 2009

Is video your 'thing' -- or would you like it to be? Here's your chance to join the NEW Rose Festival Video Team! We're looking for volunteers who include students and amateur filmmakers to help capture the festival in motion. We are looking for individuals or teams to make videos up to three minutes long, that display various aspects of the 2009 Portland Rose Festival.

Videos will be used at our official website, our YouTube site and other cyber venues. We want the vision of average citizens interested in sharing their own positive point of view about Portland's biggest party! Our long-term goal is to find new and inspirational ways to both share and promote the festival. Team members will get behind the scenes access to the Rose Festival. This also means team members will get cyber exposure of their work -- and their names.

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