Latest news with #RoseFestival
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Petal power in the High Atlas
Winners of the Miss Rose beauty pageant joining a parade during the annual Rose Festival in Kalaat M'Gouna. The small town in the High Atlas mountains comes to life each year during the International Rose Festival, now in its 60th year. — AP GLOVED and armed with shears, women weave through thorny brambles, clipping and tossing their harvest into wheelbarrows. 'Thank God for the rain,' said rose picker Fatima El Alami. 'There are roses elsewhere, but there's nowhere like here.' She's right. Mild temperatures, steady sunlight and low humidity make the fields around Kalaat M'Gouna in Morocco a perfect cradle for growing its signature flower: the Damask rose. Abundant precipitation and several desert downpours this year have bestowed Morocco with an exceptional yield of the flower, used for rosewater and rose oil. Pink and pungent, the roses are set to come in at 4,800 tonnes this year, a bloom far beyond the 2020-2023 average, according to the Regional Office for Agricultural Development, in nearby Ouarzazate. The small town in the High Atlas mountains comes to life each year during the International Rose Festival, which is now in its 60th year. From the rose-shaped monuments at Kalaat M'Gouna's entrances to the Pepto Bismol pink taxis, nearly everything here adheres to the theme. Teenagers sell heart-shaped rose dashboard ornaments along the roadside where wild briars bloom into pink tangles. Children whirl around a rose-themed carousel. Roadside placards advertise rose products in at least six languages: English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese and Amazigh, a tongue indigenous to the region. Outside the town, roses span 1,020ha across the region this year. One hectare of roses requires little water and provides more than 120 days of work in a local economy where opportunities are scarce. Regional officials say the rose industry is a prime example of sustainable development because the flowers are well-adapted to the climate and rooted in the culture – music, dance and celebrations like weddings. 'Roses here are perfectly adapted to the region and to the conditions we're living in now,' said Abdelaziz Ait Mbirik, director of the local Agricultural Development Office, referencing Morocco's prolonged drought conditions. The value of a kilogramme of roses is five to six times higher than it was several years ago. And unlike some other agricultural products that Morocco exports, Kalaat M'Gouna's roses are largely grown by small-scale farmers and nourished with drip irrigation. Though roses are broadly considered a lifeblood to the local economy, women toiling in the fields make an average of 80 to 100 Moroccan dirhams (RM37 to RM46) a day during harvest season. From the fields where they labour, the roses are bundled into potato sacks and sold to local distilleries like Mohammed Ait Hamed's. There, they are splayed onto tables, sorted and ultimately poured into copper cauldrons known as alembic stills, where they're steamed and filtered into fragrant water and precious oil. The two are packaged into pink bottles, tiny glass vials or spun into soaps or lotions. Long seen as a natural remedy for a variety of ails in Morocco, rose-based products are increasingly high in demand worldwide. Rosewater and oil are often incorporated into perfumes, toners or facial mists and marketed for their sweet and soothing smell as well as their anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. Elixirs, tonics and balms were flying off the shelves recently at festival booths staffed by local cooperatives from all over the region. The demand has spurred local officials to find ways to incentivise farmers to expand rose production in the upcoming years. At the festival parade, as drummers tapped their sticks in cadence, Fatima Zahra Bermaki, crowned this year's Miss Rose, waved from a float draped in petals. Fatima said she hoped the world could one day know the beauty of Kalaat M'Gouna and its desert roses. But amid the commotion, she remembered something: 'The ladies who pick the flowers are the important ones in all of this. If they weren't here, none of this would be,' she said. — AP
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lincoln High School senior crowned 2025 Portland Rose Festival Court Queen
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The annual search for a ruler of the Portland Rose Festival Court has come to a close with a Lincoln High School senior crowned queen. Ava Rathi was crowned early Friday morning ahead of the Grand Floral Parade this weekend. She will serve as the official ambassador of the Rose Festival for the following year. Charges announced for teen accused of planning mass shooting at Washington mall 'I am excited to be selected as Queen of Rosaria because I will get to interact with so many people in the City of Portland that I know and love,' Rathi said. 'And especially to represent the other 14 incredible members of the 2025 Rose Festival Court.' According to Rose Festival organizers, Rathi was chosen due to her academic excellence, leadership, and community service. She shared the following statement via the festival's : 'I am involved in many activities at my school, including creating interactive art kits for pediatric patients, serving as the Captain of Speech & Debate, and earning 5th in State and the 'Proven Excellence' award in Informative Speaking. I am also a National Qualifier from North Oregon, Director of Finance and Civics Tutor for the Mission: Citizen non-profit, and a member of the National Honor Society. Additionally, I won the BWB Forum 'Happy Teens Website Design Challenge' and participate in Mock Trial. Outside of school, I enjoy drawing, sewing, painting, and skiing at Mount Hood. I also love reading thriller/mystery novels and watching horror movies.' Rathi will spend her weekend engaging with the community and representing the festival court during the Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, June 7. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Portland Fleet Week bridge lifts expected to continue Wednesday: What to know
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Fleet Week is still underway Wednesday, and more ships are expected to arrive in the afternoon into the evening as part of Portland's annual Rose Festival celebrations. Locals can expect continued congestion in downtown streets due to bridge lifts at the Broadway, Steel and Burnside bridges, with four ships arriving sporadically from 4 to 8 p.m. Lifts can last up to 45 minutes, so officials are recommending that commutes in the area be planned accordingly. CC Slaughters, one of Portland's oldest LGBTQ+ bars, to close for good in August Pedestrians and cyclists will also be barred from using the Steel Bridge's lower deck between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, and, if needed, Thursday. One notable ship visiting Portland this week will be the U.S. Coast Guard's Barque Eagle, a three-masted ship that stands at 295 feet tall and features three masts, 23 sails, and a steel hull and decks. Boarding the Eagle will be a rare opportunity, and it is suggested that interested tourists arrive early to secure a spot in line. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Portland's Fleet Week begins Tuesday: What you need to know
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland's annual Fleet Week, one of the city's Rose Festival traditions, is starting on Tuesday with bridge lifts as the ships arrive to dock. Interested locals will have the opportunity to view and tour ships from the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, including the Barque Eagle, Coast Guard's tallest ship at 295 feet. However, in order for these ships to dock, Portlanders can expect periodic bridge lifts of the Broadway, Steel and Burnside bridges between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, with lifts lasting up to 45 minutes. Congestion on the roads is to be expected through downtown and along the Willamette River. Oregon Senate passes bump stock ban, allows expansion of gun-free zones Meanwhile, the lower deck of the Steel Bridge will also be unavailable, closed to pedestrians and bikers, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is recommended that locals plan their commutes around these lifts. The three-masted Eagle will be open to the public for tours on Thursday from 1-5 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are free, and guests are required to bring government IDs. Visitors will be able to learn about the rich history of the Eagle while exploring the ship's interior. Tours are first-come-first-serve, so it is suggested that visitors arrive early to secure a spot in line. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now U.S. Navy bands will also be performing throughout Portland on Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit the . All ships are expected to leave on Monday, June 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Portland Rose Festival enhances security measures for Starlight Parade
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Roads are already closed off in downtown Portland as tens of thousands of Rose Festival fans gather for the annual Starlight Parade on Saturday night. In past years, Portland has had some security issues at other parades. Now there is a lot of attention on how to keep the crowds safe. PAM CUT's 2025 Cinema Unbound Awards bridges 'high brow and the underground' Since more than 100,000 people are estimated to attend the parade this year, anti-vehicle barricades are set up for the first time to prevent cars from plowing into the crowd. 'If a vehicle were to engage with it, it lifts the front of the vehicle,' said Steven Bledsoe, a senior event strategist for the Portland Rose Festival Foundation. 'They're strung along. And then if it's a larger vehicle, it wraps around the vehicle to stop it and it stops it rather rapidly.' For years, the Rose Festival used dump trucks to block roads. But back in 2023, a man drove around some of the dump trucks and onto the parade route, almost hitting the crowd. Pedalpalooza! Portland kicks off Bike Summer this weekend Now, the festival is no longer using dump trucks, with organizers saying the decision was in response to budget cuts. Parade-goer Erin Smith from Vancouver told KOIN 6 News, said she's not had any safety concerns at the events. 'From my experience, whoever comes down here just wants to watch the parade,' said Smith. 'So we've not experienced any issues. And I don't expect there to be any this year either.' There will be hundreds of police officers from several different agencies in uniform and plain clothes throughout the parade and along the viewing areas. But officials add that you can take it one step further by bringing a flashlight for when you want to get around, especially when the festivities wrap up. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
