5/6. Rose Festival Floats/OC Municipal Elevator, 6/13/10

Fun Fact:
Did you know there are enough flowers used on the floats to send your mother a dozen roses, every day, for 30 years?

All the floats were wonderfully incredible. The purple hippo I thought was my favorite until I saw the roses. Then there was the float that won the Al Reser Sweepstakes Award (Most outstanding float in the Parade), the float sponsored by Spirit Mountain Casino.

If you look closely at each float you'll discover an amazing array of items used to build them! For our all-floral parade, every float must be covered in NATURAL items - and the variety is fascinating! Seeds and rice are dyed and carefully glued on, bark and stems and fruit are added to all the incredible flowers that bedeck each float. The Stu Con people are creative artists always finding new ways to cover the floats they design and build.

I have lived in Oregon my entire life and in the Woodburn area for 27 years, I cannot count how many times I have driven past the Oregon City Municipal Elevator and wondered what it was, the history behind it, etc., so Dawn and I decided to visit it. In the early years, OC mostly was located on the 'first level' along the Willamette River. As the city grew, it became apparent that an easier way was needed to be found to travel to the upper level of Oregon City. At first, steps were built in the bluff, but the climb was difficult because the route had 722 steps from the base to the top. In 1922, the city built a public elevator, otherwise known as the "Vertical Street." The Oregon City Municipal Elevator continues to operate as one of only four municipal elevators in the world and "Elevator Street" remains the only "vertical street" in North America.