-Marilyn Clint, PRFF Associate Director
Time to look back at all the Rose Festival memories that swept by without the time to blog about them! One of those was our 'parade rehearsal' on Friday, June 11. How do you rehearse for the largest single-day special event in the Pacific Northwest, the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade?
Well, you don't. Not really.
But there are things you can prepare for, like TV shots and turning those tough corners as you go through the Rose Quarter area--in and out of Portland's Memorial Coliseum. Setup for the parade starts on Thursday, and it includes details like painting out the parking lines in the lot that serves as part of the parade route and patching the driveways so the floats can easily drive through. And, of course, the trucks from Mira Mobile, our production company, move in as well. Many people don't know the Rose Festival produces our own parade telecast, with the support of our partner, KGW NewsChannel 8.
Associate Producer Carolyn Kaleel goes over the script with Drew Carney, while hosts Tracy and Joe check out their 'dressing room'
The day before the parade, Chairman Sue Bunday called for our key committee people to meet on site where the TV production trucks, bleachers and rigging were already setting up.
Sue gives the Parade Committee members (Brett Baker in center) an orientation
We also invited as many entry representatives as we could, so the actual 'stars' of the show would have a chance to get the lay of the land. The Grand Floral Parade is a pretty complicated event, after all. We start on the south side of the Coliseum, then we enter the big south door and perform for the audience inside. Then, after making it through another big door (those doors were built for this exact purpose!), the line of march heads for our TV cameras and the reserved seats on the north side of the building.
All this before ever hitting the route!
The riggers wriggle up the scaffolds for the banners
We didn't have many entries show up this year, but the committee members got a good walk-thru with Sue. Next year she'll be the Rose Festival president, so she'll be riding in the parade as one of the VIPs! Her role as parade chair will be assumed by committee member Brett Baker, and he knows he has some big shoes to fill. Sue has been an amazing leader, and this year's great parade is certainly the proof!
Time to look back at all the Rose Festival memories that swept by without the time to blog about them! One of those was our 'parade rehearsal' on Friday, June 11. How do you rehearse for the largest single-day special event in the Pacific Northwest, the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade?
Well, you don't. Not really.
But there are things you can prepare for, like TV shots and turning those tough corners as you go through the Rose Quarter area--in and out of Portland's Memorial Coliseum. Setup for the parade starts on Thursday, and it includes details like painting out the parking lines in the lot that serves as part of the parade route and patching the driveways so the floats can easily drive through. And, of course, the trucks from Mira Mobile, our production company, move in as well. Many people don't know the Rose Festival produces our own parade telecast, with the support of our partner, KGW NewsChannel 8.
Associate Producer Carolyn Kaleel goes over the script with Drew Carney, while hosts Tracy and Joe check out their 'dressing room'
The day before the parade, Chairman Sue Bunday called for our key committee people to meet on site where the TV production trucks, bleachers and rigging were already setting up.
Sue gives the Parade Committee members (Brett Baker in center) an orientation
We also invited as many entry representatives as we could, so the actual 'stars' of the show would have a chance to get the lay of the land. The Grand Floral Parade is a pretty complicated event, after all. We start on the south side of the Coliseum, then we enter the big south door and perform for the audience inside. Then, after making it through another big door (those doors were built for this exact purpose!), the line of march heads for our TV cameras and the reserved seats on the north side of the building.
All this before ever hitting the route!
The riggers wriggle up the scaffolds for the banners
We didn't have many entries show up this year, but the committee members got a good walk-thru with Sue. Next year she'll be the Rose Festival president, so she'll be riding in the parade as one of the VIPs! Her role as parade chair will be assumed by committee member Brett Baker, and he knows he has some big shoes to fill. Sue has been an amazing leader, and this year's great parade is certainly the proof!
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Mary