Portland Observer, June 3 ,1 9 6 2 Page 3
METROPOLITAN
O th er banks stop here.
W e don’t.
You don’t leave First Inter
state Bank when you leave
the state line behind.
Wherever you travel
throughout the 11 western
states, we’re standing by.
With over 900 offices where
you
■ always cash checks,
/ can
With
ith over 600 Day and Night
Dances war* Important segment of celebration of Indian culture at Schrunk Plaza.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Roses bloom on Portland festival
by Harris Levon McRae
The roses are in bloom, the sun is
sm ilin g — a perfect setting for the
74th annual Portland Rose Festival.
Through the years, the festival has
grown and m atured u n til it now
comprises ten fu ll days o f varied
events.
Festivities will begin next Friday,
June 4th with more than 50 events
on this year's schedule.
The story o f the Rose Festival
goes way back into Portland's yester
years to 1889 when some rose
adm irers held their first annual
show in a tent. In 1902 (he Portland
Rose Society was fo rm ed . 1904
brought the a d d itio n o f the Rose
Society Fiesta to add more
excitem ent to the show. Things
progressed still further in 1905.
“ Portland needs a festival o f
roses,” said H a rry L an e, then
mayor o f Portland, in an address at
the Lewis and C la rk E xp o sitio n .
Civic leaders liked the idea, and in
1907 put it into action producing the
first Portland Rose Festival. W ith
the exception o f the interuption o f
W o rld W a r I in 1918 and other
d iffic u ltie s in 1926, the Rose
Festival has been held annually ever
since.
The 74th year w ill begin w ith
fireworks lighting the way for three
large parades including the Starlight
Parade, the Junior Parade, which
has
over
10,000
children
participating, making it the largest
parade o f its type in the country,
and the highlight o f the Rose
Festival— the Grand Floral Parade.
The G rand F lo ral Parade attracts
visitors to Portland from all parts of
the world to see the floats decorated
com pletely w ith fresh n atu ral
flowers.
A fte r the floats have completed
the parade route, they are taken to
an organized display area where the
public is invited to view them during
the weekend.
Other major activities include the
Festival o f Bands, the Rose
Show— A m erica's
oldest
and
largest. Rose Festival Queen
selection and visits by American and
Canadian navy ships.
Jasmin* Community Marching Band In Community Performance.
(Photos: Richard J. Brown)
Since 1930, the Rose Festival
Queen has been a P o rtla n d high
school senior, selected from a court
o f princesses— one princess selected
by the student body o f each high
school. In 1932, when the present
Rose Festival A ssociation was
incorporated, each princess received
a college scholarship contributed by
the
A ssociation;
through
September, 1981, nearly $300,000
has been distributed this way.
The Rose Festival w ill end w ith
the roaring motors o f the G .I. Joe’s
Rose C u p Sports C a r Races. The
Races, which were sponsored by the
Rose Festival Association fo r the
first time in 1966 is a m ajor annual
a ttra c tio n
of
the
F estival.
Thousands o f spectators gather at
Delta Park to watch the high-speed
racers go after the thrill o f victory.
Up W ith People, who performed
to a sell-out crowd at Super Bowl
X V I, will do two performances to
add to the festivities.
As the slogan that Bertha Slater
Smith originated goes, “ For you a
Rose in Portland grows.”
“ I ’ve been dreaming about this
band for 12 years. I went through
elementary, junior high, high school
and college being involved with
bands like this - in the south these
bands are a way o f life ," said Thara
Memory.
“ I ’ve been dreaming about this
tor for the Jasmin Community
Marching Band. The band was star
ted last October and recently won
three first place awards in the
St. Johns parade. They arc current
ly scheduled to march in the Rose
Festival's Starlight Parade and
would like to be a part o f the Grand
Floral Parade.
“ We plan to protest vehemently
about being in the Grand Floral
Parade. It has been almost 20 years
since they have had participation
from this community. There has
been only one black queen in the
Rose Festival in 30 years,’’ Memory
said.
“ The fight to get this community
to become an integral part of
this city has just started. We live
here tori. The more they condense
and franchise us the better they feel.
It ’s time for the community to really
wake up and understand that in
order to solve it's problems it must
expose itself to the world. Living in
Portland and working here entitles
you to a fair share,” he added.
According to Thara Memory
there are very severe tryouts to go
OREGON
STATE
LINE
o
through before one becomes a mem
ber o f the Jazmin Band.
"T h e tryouts are not based on
musical ability - they are based on
attitude and commitment to hard
work.
Parents experienced with
marching bands help out. A ll kinds
o f professional musicians come
through. We don't have the facil
ities and equipment - some instru
ments are donated, some are bor
rowed, so we have to have hard
w o rk," Memory said.
Memory feels that the chances for
the Jasmin Band to win the Sweep-
stakes Award in the Starlight
Parade arc very good.
" W e are trying to build kids that
can be counted on • not counted
o u t," he concluded.
' Iffll
Bank
Pause with Pepsi............
.............and step into history.
Dr. Dan Beason, Chiropractor,
explains tha function of the
spine and how to protect it while
marching to music of Jasmin
Band.
Jazmín Band joins Rose Festival
Harris Levon McRae
Teller machines that let you
withdraw up to $200 from
your checking and savings
account or take a $200 cash
advance on your First Inter- f
state Bank VISA card.
So if you want state-of-the-
art banking, come to where you
can bank in more than one state.
WILLIAM EDWARD BURGH ART D l'BO IS
(1 8 6 8 -1 9 6 3 )
S C H O L A R , S P O K E S M A N , W R IT E R . Bom in Great Barrington, Massachusetts Won scholar
ships to Fisk and Howard Universities and the University of Berlin. Headed department of history
and economics at Atlanta University for 13 years. Wrote for Atlantic Monthly and other mag
azines. One of the founders of the NAACP in 1908 and editor of its Crisis Magazine. In 1919.
launched Pan-African Congresses in Paris. Published many outstanding books. First Negro elected
to membership in National Institute of Arts & Letters. 1943. Regarded as one of the most pro
found scholars of his time and generation and the 'dean' of Negro Intellectuals.
Take The
Pepsi Challenge.
Let your taste decide.