Stars out, streets abandoned of all cars, kids playing, and people selling cotton candy and souvenirs fill the Portland roads. A Portland tradition will arrive and this year, Cleveland will once again be a part of it. On Saturday, June 4, the annual Starlight parade will take place with the Cleveland band and students marching along with it.

The Starlight parade is an annual tradition starting at NW Burnside and Ninth Avenue, traveling through downtown Portland, and ending at Lincoln High School. This year, in honor of Cleveland’s 100-year anniversary, a spot has been secured so our school can celebrate with the rest of the city.

There will be three parts to Cleveland’s participation in the parade. Cleveland’s marching band is one piece, performing in the parade for the first time since 2002. It wasn’t until this year that the Cleveland marching band was reborn after being non-existent since then. It is composed of all the students who participate in one of the three band programs currently offered at Cleveland.

“It’s very exciting. It’s nice to reinstate a program that’s been gone for so long. We have to march in our uniforms from 1985. We are trying to make them work for a year but are raising money for new ones,” said Cleveland band director Gary Riler.

Another aspect to Cleveland’s participation is being arranged by alumnus Greg Franks. He is putting together a total of 50 student representatives from sport teams to some clubs and electives.

The third part to Cleveland’s participation is through the theater students, who will be decked out in costumes representing the 10 decades of Cleveland’s existence.

Additionally alumnus Nancy Carr says that Cleveland has been invited to come back in 2017 and be a part of the parade for a second year in a row.

“I am in hopes the school [and the band] will want to be in next year’s parade too,” expressed Carr.

If you’d like to join Cleveland in celebrating our extensive history, there are several ways for you to do so. You can take part in the Clarion 100 year anniversary trivia contests which are posted on clevelandclarion.com, buy a 100 year shirt ($12 for sizes S, M, L, XL and $15 for XXL), purchase a 100 year patch in the Cleveland Mall ($1), or purchase the Cleveland 100 year anniversary book (more information located in the Cleveland Mall).

Another fantastic way to join the celebration is to come down on Saturday, June 4 and cheer on the Cleveland community as they spread the celebration beyond the walls of Cleveland to the rest of our city.