Latest news with #StarlightParade
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local support shines through at Clark County Pride festival
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In a time when LGBTQ+ individuals feel they have become targets by the Trump administration, small town events garnering support from the local community are paramount. That's the belief of Clark County Pride, the organization behind the 5th Annual Rainbow Walk and Festival, which took place in La Center, Wash. on Sunday. Starlight Parade fills streets in downtown Portland Geared towards the celebration of queer identities, the event kicked off Pride Month, attracting around 200 people of all ages and beginning with a short parade on the La Center Bridge. During the parade, attendees told KOIN 6 News that the community response was 'so full of joy.' 'We're getting so many waves and thumbs-ups and honks,' said community member Lacey Meehan. Although five counter-protesters made an appearance, holding up signs on the opposite side of the street, paradegoers drowned them out with even more honks and cheers. 'Let's make some noise!' the parade's leader shouted. 'Let's show these bigots what pride looks like!' Map shows who in the PNW, rest of US might see the Northern Lights All of this culminated at a festival in Holley Park, with DJs, live music, food, a resource fair, as well as arts and crafts. Kaycee Weaver, Clark County Pride's event coordinator, told KOIN 6 News that ultimately the goal of this was to bring awareness in a place that doesn't have as many resources or support for those identifying as LGBTQ+. 'There's just not a lot of representation out here,' Weaver said. 'We face a lot of difficulties finding support and resources for our area and we just want to be sure that we're out here supporting people, letting them know that we're here and we have a network.' Community member Emily Lake echoed this, stressing how significant it is for people to show up for the queer community in a small town. 'Small town events are huge,' she said. 'Everybody loves a pride parade, but showing up for your local community – especially with school districts and everything – it's so important that you show up for the people closest to you.' Lake also noted how the festival has evolved since its inaugural event in 2021. 'It's way nicer this year than it's been,' she said. 'I've come to this event for three years now and just seeing it grow and community grow, that's what pride is. Not about itself, not an individual, but all of us together.' This parade and festival marked the first of more Pride events to come in the Clark County metro area this year. 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.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How the Starlight Parade will impact traffic in downtown Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One of the Portland Rose Festival's most cherished traditions, the Starlight Parade, is returning to downtown Saturday evening. The annual event features marching bands and over 100 illuminated entries. This year, they'll all led by one of the city's most iconic mascots, Dillon T. Pickle of Portland's West Coast League baseball team, the Portland Pickles. Pedalpalooza! Portland kicks off Bike Summer this weekend The parade begins on Southwest Naito Parkway near the Morrison Bridge and ends at Lincoln High School on Southwest Salmon Street. Although the parade begins at 8:15 p.m., street closures will take effect at 1:30 p.m. along Naito Parkway between Southwest Jefferson and Northwest Davis Street. The stretch along Southwest 4th Avenue from West Burnside to Southwest Salmon will also close by 4:30 p.m. until the parade's scheduled end at 10:15 p.m. LGBTQIA+ film screening kicks off Pride in Portland TriMet has also cautioned that between 3:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., downtown service on lines 15, 16, 20, 63 will be affected. Temporary stops and detours will be available during that time. Additional information on street closures can be found Organizers highly encourage using public transportation to get to the parade. Further, they say anyone planning to park in nearby lots should arrive early ahead of the street closures. For more information about the CareOregon Starlight Parade, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
