Photo: Rose Festival
It's float decorating week at the Portland Rose Festival and the ballots are ready for volunteers to sign up and help make this the best float building community in the country. Each year hundreds of volunteers gather at this time to work on coloring and texturizing the many floats in the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade. This year the Festival has two locations for volunteer float decorating opportunities.
Thanks to the generosity of Funtastic Traveling Shows, the Grand floats of the Grand Floral Parade are being built by float builder SCi 3.2 at the carnival's large warehouses in east Portland. Each year hundreds of individuals and groups of volunteers contribute hundreds of collective hours to making the Grand Floral one of America's most spectacular all floral parades.
SCi 3.2 has done all the heavy lifting in construction, and now it is time for volunteers to sign up to apply the beauty and texture. Hundreds of pounds of fruits, seeds, grasses, mixed flowers and roses sit ready to be carefully applied to form the skin, fur, hair, and landscaping look that each design calls for. With the Grand Floral Parade only six days away, it's time for all hands on deck. Volunteers can go to sci32.com/volunteer to sign-up.
With the popularity in the Festival's mini-float program gaining interest, every year more of these charming golf cart sized floats are being built for the Grand Floral Parade. The Portland Rose Festival is now recruiting volunteers to help complete the final touches of texture and beauty. The 2019 mini-float barn is located at the recently closed post office building at NW 9th and Lovejoy Street. Volunteers are needed for 12 mini-floats and one grand float being specially built for the Cambia Portland Classic. To sign up for decorating mini-floats call Grand Floral Parade Chair Carla Stenberg at 503.348.6688 or the Rose Festival office at 503.227.2681
The Portland Rose Festival Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves families and individuals with programs and events that promote the arts, education and volunteerism. We value environmental responsibility, diversity, patriotism and our historic & floral heritage. The 2019 Rose Festival runs from May 24 through June 9.