INCLUDES COLORFUL VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS IN UltraHD | 13 EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS | Take a look, and enjoy what those who attended outer East Portland’s only parade saw this year …
In a parking lot at Eastport Plaza, participants in the 19th Annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade begin to assemble.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Nary a raindrop fell from the overcast sky on Saturday morning, April 26th, as the 19th Annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade kept its two-decade “no rain” streak intact. The parade stepped off from Eastport Plaza right on time at 9:30 a.m., and headed north to the South Tabor neighborhood.
“We loved this parade, with so many bands, so many different kinds of entries – many of them very entertaining,” exclaimed Brian Ellis, who’d set up with his family near the parade route’s end. “We’ve been to most of them, and this parade is the best one yet!”
Enjoy highlights of the 19th Annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade in our video:
Many of those walking in the parade also approved of the abbreviated route – shortened this year from about two miles to 1.1 miles.
“The shorter route, especially because it includes a fairly steep uphill climb from S. E. Woodward to Clinton Street, allowed more folks to walk the route this year,” observed the parade’s chief organizer, Nancy Chapin.
Narrating the parade for those near the PA system set up near the start of the parade route are perennial volunteer presenters Patrick Provant of Multnomah County Library and Eric G. Norberg, editor of Southeast Portland’s renowned THE BEE newspaper.
Thousands of folks line the route as the 19th Annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade is in the march north in outer East Portland, passing through the Lents and Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhoods.
This year’s Grand Marshals are 20-year parade volunteers Kathryn Notson (in the back seat) and Ruth Hander.
These Portland Lee’s Association Lion Dance Team members entertain the crowd along the route.
The Portland Rose Festival Association float presents President Jeremy Emerson, and Clown Prince Angel Ocasio.
As the parade began, SE 82nd Avenue of Roses was lined with more than 2,100 spectators who cheered on the 50 entries as they passed by – plus the 525 parade participants who were walking, riding horses, in military vehicles or in cars, and on floats.
This year’s parade included four marching musical groups, two “dance drill teams”, two groups of elegant horseback riders, a cadre of “Portland Rose Festival Clowns”, a dragon and lion dance team, and a returning favorite, the dancers of Comparsa Orgullo Morelense Cemiac group.
Onlookers enjoy the tuneful sounds of the Kellogg Middle School Band.
Looking sharp are members of the Martin L. King SUN School Drill Team as they demonstrate their skill.
Revving up folks watching the parade is Portland’s nationally famous – Cha Cha the Clown.
A parade with staying power
The highway was officially designated the “82nd Avenue of Roses” by resolution of the Portland City Council in November, 2004. Then, in 2006, some scoffed when a group of business leaders, friends, and neighbors announced that they’d hold a parade along the thoroughfare in the following year. CLICK HERE see our story on their first parade in 2007. After that, they scoffed no more!
“Through the years, enduring threatening weather (but no rain), and rowdies who’d promised menacing behavior one year, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic – the parade has more than ‘marched on’, it has thrived: Creating a fun, festive, and welcoming event – put on by, and for, our very diverse community,” Chapin commented.
It may also be the first parade each year of the Portland Rose Festival.
This nonprofit group, the Portland GhostBusters, puts on a lively show for spectators all along the route.
Walking groups, like these folks with Our Just Future, are an important part of the passing parade.
Working year ’round, a dozen devoted volunteers from the 82 Roses Community Enrichment Coalition Parade Committee labored behind the scenes present this now-cherished East Portland highlight.
Chapin told East Portland News that on the day of the parade, a total of 55 volunteers pitched in to help staging the parade; and, along the route, some then acted as “street monitors”, keeping vehicles from entering the closed road during the parade.
“My own favorite entry was Ascension Catholic Church, they brought a wonderful equestrian unit with so many horses for us all to appreciate,” commented Chapin. “And, I think we all enjoy the Portland Rose Festival Clowns, and the Clown Prince, who grace our parade every year!”
The colorful Comparsa Orgullo Morelense Cemiac dancers continue to be one of the groups that enliven the parade.
“Cleaning up” near the end of the parade are volunteers from the Lents Neighborhood Livability Association.
“We’re so thankful for all of our volunteers and sponsors who make this community event possible,” Chapin smiled. “Deserving special thanks is Larry Smith, who brought out TV stations at 5:00 a.m. the morning before the parade – along with the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers, and the car clubs. We’re also grateful for Anna Zarrella doing social media outreach for the parade.
“Finally, we’re indebted to our twenty sponsors, who, because of their generosity, make the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade possible,” Chapin acknowledged.
Learn more about the 82 Roses Community Enrichment Coalition by visiting their website: CLICK HERE. And, Look for the parade to return in 2026, on 82nd Avenue of Roses, on the last Saturday morning in April!
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
click here to subscribe
