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Rose Festival Organizers Pivot and Create Online Program for 15 New Princesses

Portland, OR. The Portland Rose Festival is having to pivot due to the current COVID-19 crisis and some events for the 2020 Rose Festival will be postponed. Organizers are cautiously evaluating conditions and hope to offer some events at the appropriate time. But for court members, their experience will be different than the group enjoyed in 2019.

1st Row: Michelle Le (DD), Mariel Bunnage (PRFF Staff), Doré Young (FHS), Melyssa Okazaki (CC)
2nd Row: Grace Gentner (SMA), Brenda Ortegon Briceño (PHS), Jensen Kailen (ME), Anya Anand (LHS)
3rd Row: Kimberly Huynh (MW), Linda Gunselman (Court Committee Co-Chair), Wren Louis (MHS), Natalie Cetina-Huchin (JHS)
4th Row: Dyllan Newville (RHS), Emma Laboe (WHS), Roserina Chipen (BHS), Carmella Thomas (GHS)
5th Row: Zoey Weesner (CHS)

Festival administrators announced the following about the 2020 festival:

“It has become clear that the proper timing is not our original dates of May 22 through June 7. As Portland’s Official Festival, we will work with city leaders to identify the appropriate timing for the 2020 Rose Festival. Rose Festival has inspired the community for more than a hundred years through many challenging times, and we have learned to evolve our traditions as necessary. We look forward to being part of the healing process after the current crisis has passed.

One major Rose Festival milestone has already occurred: the announcement of the 2020 Rose Festival Court presented by Unitus Community Credit Union. The announcement of princesses was taken online and organizers have shifted to an online model to carry on this tradition. We will continue to follow the decisions of festival organizers and report what the COVID-19 crisis will mean for the 2020 festival.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.