A partisan crowd turned out Saturday for the Starlight Parade -- partial to the glittery, evening extravaganza and the champion Winterhawks hockey team.
Paradegoers showered love on the Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade on a day kissed by clear skies.
Marching Portland firefighters put a cirque du soleil touch to the event at the intersection of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Morrison Street.
As a rope team hoisted a two-story tall ladder to vertical, a firefighter sprinted to the top and, without pausing to admire the view, flipped head first and gracefully from the top rung. A group holding a taut tarp caught him.
It was a night when the obvious could not be stated too often. "What about this Oregon weather?!" said a parade official at Fourth and Morrison. "Isn't it great?!"
Under those clear skies, turnout was huge, by one unofficial estimate approaching 250,000. "Full Capacity. We don't count," a parade official said.
Earlier in the evening, the costume party masquerading as a 5k run, the Starlight Run, wove its way along the parade route.
"This is more geared toward the little ones," said Angela Hamilton of Portland before the parade, gathered near the corner of Southwest Stark Street and Broadway with friends Rebecca Cheatham, Samoyia Lowe and Karen Moore, joined by five young children. "I just like to see the expressions on the kids' faces, the oohs and the ahhs," said Hamilton, who began planning the Starlight logistics with friends a week ago.
The Winterhawks, winners of the Western Hockey Leaguechampionship last month, were represented by coach Mike Johnston, players Taylor Peters and Tyler Wotherspoon, assistant coach Kyle Gustafson,the Rosebuds cheerleaders, and the Ed Chynoweth Cup they won along with a Zamboni ice resurfacing machine that had been freed for the special evening.
Nearby, Shelby Purvis and Stephanie Roberts, both of Portland, were prepared for the Winterhawks, the parade's grand marshal and one of about 100 parade entries, including 50 floats. Purvis wore a replica No. 51 Derrick Pouliot jersey, supporting the Hawks defenseman who already is playing for an NHL Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate minor league team, and Roberts wore a numberless Hawks jersey. Purvis was at the parade for another reason.
"My dad plays in the One More Time Around Marching Band," she said of Duane Purvis, saxophone player in the band "for a long, long time." Down the street, Laura Woodruff pulled and Sally Stevens pushed a wagon featuring $2 glittery "Halos."
"I made 'em," said Woodruff, of Portland. "For the fifth straight year."
Strategic positioning is important at Starlight. Vinda Strasburg and her daughter, Maria Strasburg, 11, both of Portland had a prime viewing of the floats and bands on Southwest Salmon Street near Broadway. "We got here at about 3," Vinda Strasburg said. "But there are people who've been here all day."
After years of watching the Starlight on television, Maria Strasburg said she was looking forward to seeing the parade in person for the first time. She and her mother were dressed for the part, adorned with glow sticks bought earlier in the day from a dollar store. Finding the perfect seat was important to Brianna Morales,33 weeks pregnant and due in July.
Allegra Riscoe, the 15-year-old girlfriend of Morales' son, was assigned the task and she scored. The Portland family's spot included a bike stand to leash family pugs Gus and Phoenix. But more important, -- important for a woman at 33 weeks --their seats were near a bathroom. Bonus: the seats were near and the Baskin-Robbins at 625 S.W. Broadway Ave.
Allegra Riscoe, the 15-year-old girlfriend of Morales' son, was assigned the task and she scored. The Portland family's spot included a bike stand to leash family pugs Gus and Phoenix. But more important, -- important for a woman at 33 weeks --their seats were near a bathroom. Bonus: the seats were near and the Baskin-Robbins at 625 S.W. Broadway Ave.
"The pregnant lady needs bathrooms, ice cream and water," Morales said. A Baskin-Robbins next to a parade route rakes it in on a day like Saturday."Going to be a busy day today," customer Harlan Harvey of Portland, clutching a chocolate milkshake, said to the cashier.
Owner Sam Joo said he expected about $2,000 in sales Saturday, roughly double a typical Saturday. "As long as there is no rain," he said. "We are O.K."
Shortly before the parade, Tony Gray put finishing touches on the Roosevelt High School float. Gray, a St. Johns businessman, had more time to work on the float this year. Last year he got a call two days before Starlight, asking him to put something together. "We're very much into our community," Gray said.
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