Rose Festival Junior Parade brings music, dancers and bubbles, but not too much candy, to Sandy Boulevard

The clouds couldn’t dampen the spirits of the children lining Northeast Sandy Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon, waiting for the Portland Rose Festival’s Junior Parade to begin.

Ella Hogan, 10, joined her friends from Rose City Park Elementary in the street before the parade. Students at Rose City Park, which is located near the parade route, get dismissed early on parade day.

For Ella, that early dismissal is one of the best things about the parade. But that’s just part of the fun. There’s also the social element.

“I like hanging out with my friends,” said 10-year-old Hazel Ceretti.

First graders at St. Rose School, Kian Bugbee, 8, and Miles Kelley, 7, were excited about the parade for a couple other reasons: They wanted to see the police drive by, and they wanted candy.

While many of the spectators were from nearby neighborhoods, some had come from farther afield.

Evelyn Braaten drove in from Beaverton for the parade, a tradition since her kids were little, she said.

“The kids can be free,” she said. “Every kid out here is a friend.”

And it was true. Kids ran around on Sandy, a street usually full of zooming cars. Some even drew with chalk on the pavement, an experience they can only get safely once a year.

Soon enough, though, the parade began.

The entrants included local marching bands, schools and dance troupes. Batons were thrown, horns honked and drums drummed.

The Rose Princesses were there, along with a handful of Disney princesses and trombones and trumpets and saxophones played “Louie, Louie” and “Seven Nation Army,” pretty well, actually, given the misty day and the youthfulness of many of the music groups.

But Kian and Miles may have ended up disappointed – only one group on Wednesday appeared to throw any candy to the audience.

Still, as the final performers went down the street, followed by a fire truck and street cleaners, the kids all around seemed happy. Who needs candy when you get let out early from school to listen to music and watch dancers with all your best pals?

Though, to be fair, most of the kids seemed to have found candy somewhere. So there was candy, too.

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Lizzy Acker


covers life and culture and writes


the advice column Why Tho?


Reach her at 503-221-8052,


lacker@oregonian.com


.

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