June 8, 2002

10:26 AM

We're in the midst of the Rose Festival here.I'm watching the Grand Floral Parade on tv now, since I didn't camp out last night on the sidewalk space I taped out last weekend. Yes, that really happens. From the site: The Grand Floral Parade is the second largest all-floral parade in North America and the largest, single-day spectator event in Oregon. Pasadena's Parade is the top one. They expect half a million spectators in person, and even more on TV. Are you watching this with me? What festivals and spectacles do you have in your area?
posted by verso (7 comments total)

I marched in the Grand Floral last year (with a band, no less!) We actually scored pretty well, but only because the judges are at the beginning. By the end, everyone in the thing is pretty much dead.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 11:16 AM on June 8, 2002

The Capital Pride Parade is going to be held today here in DC. That's an entirely other kind of parade though.
posted by pjdoland at 12:16 PM on June 8, 2002

I was in the Starlight Parade once, in the back seat of a '57 Ford that belonged to the dad of a friend of mine. In all the years I lived in the Portland area, I never went to the Grand Floral Parade. I really don't much like parades.

Except for one. Down here in Ashland, we have a great Fourth of July celebration, with a parade that's so goshdarned American, it'll make ya sick. Then the city band (with my stepson on French horn) does a concert in beautiful Lithia Park (Quicktime req. for panorama) of all the usual patriotic songs, always winding up with "Stars and Stripes Forever." (The first time I heard the band play the Liberty Bell March, I cracked up, because that's also the theme for "Monty Python's Flying Circus.") I'm not much into patriotism, but for some reason, on that day I always make an exception.
posted by diddlegnome at 12:24 PM on June 8, 2002

Here in Edmonton, Alberta, we like to call ourselves "Festival City". There are too many festivals year-round to list them all, but some of the highlights are Klondike Days, the world-renowned Fringe Theatre Festival, the International Street Performers' Festival, and Jazz City. These festivals bring performers and fans to Edmonton from around the world, and at the risk of sounding like promotional copy, there really is something for everyone.
posted by spyke at 12:55 PM on June 8, 2002

Here, we get the Days of '47, also known as Pioneer Days, which celebrate the Mormon pioneers' entry into what is now Utah. There's a huge parade in Salt Lake City, and smaller ones in other cities.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:28 PM on June 8, 2002

Today was "Parade the Circle." The Cleveland Museum of Art and the local groups outdid themselves this year-- batik, rhythm, paper mache and home-made walking sculpture far beyond what appears on the website. Our blonde mayor and her retinue were quite dashing in their bright red and blue batiked kimonos. (It also turns out that you can do things with old CDs, aerobics noodles, stilts, recycled plastic and household keys that I would never have guessed.) The Botanical Garden next door is in full bloom: roses, childrens' garden, herb garden, Japanese garden, woodland, etc., and it's expanding. Cleveland is definitely worth a trip this time of year. The Weatherhead School of Management is quite a sight in bright spring sunshine! All those years of having a world-class art museum free to the public have had quite an impact on the artistic level here.
posted by sheauga at 1:36 PM on June 8, 2002

We're in the middle of The Potomac River Festival here in the little town of Colonial Beach, VA.

Parades, firemen, majorette competitions, fireworks, music, and alcohol. Okay, for most of us it's all about the alcohol. In fact I'm at home resting for another night of alc.. fun.
posted by SuzySmith at 2:24 PM on June 8, 2002