This year’s Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade will have entries from two local unions.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48 will mark its 100th anniversary with an entry consisting of a union-logoed Chevy Volt electric car, a centennial banner, and 40 marchers wearing custom safety vests, hard hats, and battery powered light strings.
National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 82 will also take part; the local has had an entry in the Starlight Parade every year since 1988. This year, members will march wearing their letter carrier uniforms, plus costumes resembling the U.S. Postal Service’s “forever stamps.” Those include Elvis Presley, a bride and groom, Abraham Lincoln, Carmen Miranda, and Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story.
For the unions, as with other participants, it’s a chance to get exposure and generate good will. Officially known as Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade, the event draws more than 250,000 spectators to downtown Portland, and is broadcast live from 9 to 11 p.m. on FOX 12 TV.
The parade will take place in downtown Portland Saturday, June 1, starting at 8:30 p.m. It’s preceded by the Starlight Run, a 5k fun run.
See here for the parade route.
