You know that saying about a free lunch? Well, there's no such thing as a free buncha roses, either.
- MAYOR SAM ADAMS AND COMMISSIONERS RANDY LEONARD AND AMANDA FRITZ ACCEPT ROSES FROM ROSE FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS TODAY
This morning, four of the five commissioners (Saltzman was "out sick," said a staffer) proposed a resolution to "make the Rose Festival the official festival of the City of Portland."
There was self-congratulation all round. Governor Vic Atiyeh said he remembered when Mount Saint Helens blew, "and the dust came in our direction, but the parade kept going. It was a messy parade, but we made it through." A member of the festival's 75-member board of directors said he remembered the parade after September 11, when the "freedom float" happened. "One of the New York firefighters gave an admiral a chunk of the World Trade Center in a glass box," he said. "I believe this special moment was part of our nation's healing."
"I used to be afraid of clowns," said a seven-year-old girl. "Now my dad is a clown. I love the Rose Festival."
- CLOWN: GAVE OUT RED NOSES TO COUNCIL AFTER THE RESOLUTION HAD PASSED
But whatever you cynical hipsters may think of the Rose Festival, it has been part of Portland since 1908, and I guess I've got nothing against us naming it the official festival of the City of Portland. Tom Potter did the same thing for Voodoo Doughnuts—official doughnut of the City of Portland—during his tenure. So it's not unprecedented.
Something that did surprise me, however, was Mayor Sam Adams casually mentioning during the proceedings that he now plans to figure out a way to waive all the city's fees levied on the Rose Festival in his upcoming budget. That comes to $250,000 a year, according to the festival's Executive Director, Jeff Curtis. "We're saying: You're special," said Adams. Yeah. Pretty special!
- NONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS WORE THEIRS. "THIS IS A POLITICIAN'S NIGHTMARE," SAID ADAMS, TO THE CROWD, LOOKING NERVOUSLY AROUND FOR CAMERAS
The move is not without strings attached, said Adams. "While this festival is about celebrating Portland's history, I want a co-commitment to always evolving, to making the festival as relevant as possible," he said. "As hip and cool as anything else out there." Adams said he knew that there had been "debates" about this among the Rose Festival board, but that he hoped people would see his point of view.
There's also a payoff for the city—both Adams and Fritz said that the Rose Festival brings $50million to Portland each year, along with 2 million visitors. Those numbers are from a study by downtown economics firm Dean Runyan, done in 2000, says Curtis. A new study is going out to bid as I type. Still, if the City of Portland gets to benefit from $50million in economic stimulus from the Rose Festival every year, one can see that Adams would have a vested interest in insuring that it thrives.
Meanwhile, we've asked for a copy of that economic impact study from the festival organizers and will take a closer look at it when it arrives.