PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Just days after the 79th anniversary of D-Day, the legendary and iconic Rosie the Riveters will be the Grand Marshals of the 2023 Grand Floral Parade.
“Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II, and she became perhaps the most iconic image of working women,” History.com said.
The annual American Rosie the Riveter Association Convention is being held in Portland from June 8-11. More than a dozen of them, aged between 94 and 101, will ride on their own float, sponsored by Boeing, during the Grand Floral Parade Saturday morning. The Rosies will also have the company of current tradeswomen from IBEW Local 48, Rose Festival organizers said.
The Rosies will also do a 2-hour meet-and-greet at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront beginning at 4 p.m. Friday.
“It is a celebration of the past, present, and future, and a tribute to the contributions of women to our society,” Rose Festival organizers said in a release. “The festival promises to be a memorable and meaningful experience for all, as it commemorates this historic milestone in Portland’s history.”
The Grand Floral Parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday starting at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, ventures onto Broadway, and proceeds along Weidler to MLK Jr. Blvd. A right turn takes the parade down MLK Jr. Blvd until Lloyd Blvd. Another left turn onto Lloyd Blvd. leads to the parade’s grand finale at 16th and Multnomah, near the Lloyd Center.