Clark County bands clean up at Rose Festival junior parade
Local schools take home six of seven awards
The Columbian
Published: June 5, 2013, 5:00pm
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Pleasant Valley Middle School won the Band Sweepstakes award at the junior parade, part of the Portland Rose Festival. Six of seven band awards were won by Clark County schools.
PORTLAND — Under picture-perfect skies, young Clark County musicians took home six of seven band awards at Wednesday’s 2013 Fred Meyer Junior Parade, part of the Portland Rose Festival.
The grand marshal was from Clark County, too. Rojo the therapy llama handled the honor at the children’s parade, which wends its way through Northeast Portland’s Hollywood District. He was led by Tristen Brester, 6.
Rojo, 11, is a certified therapy animal who, with his handlers Shannon Hendrickson and Lori Gregory, visits children’s hospitals, senior communities, schools and special events, often in costume.
“It is a huge honor,” said Hendrickson, who has
raised Rojo since he was 9 months old.
This was Rojo’s fifth appearance in the children’s parade. He will march again Saturday in the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade, as he has every year of his life.
“He just loves the attention,” said Hendrickson. “He really enjoys the parade.”
The junior parade featured 32 bands, and six from Clark County were honored. Pleasant Valley Middle School took the Band Sweepstakes award.
In the Open Class division for bands with 100 or more members, first place went to Frontier Middle School, second was awarded to Chief Umtuch Middle School, and the third place finisher was Covington Middle School.
In the A Class division for bands with 99 members or fewer, first place went to Daybreak Middle School and third place was awarded to Discovery Middle School.
