The Rose Festival’s COO Is Allergic to Roses

On this week’s episode of Dive, Anthony Effinger explains why brighter days may be ahead for Portland’s annual carnival.

Collecting prizes at CityFair. (Chris Nesseth)

By Brianna Wheeler

This week’s Rose Festival-themed cover package, “The Portland Rose Festival Is Decadent and Depraved,” is delivered through all types of lenses: some grotesque, others nostalgic, others a bit jaded. But regardless of the POV, one thing is certain: There’s big RCTID energy in the air.

This week, I’m chatting with pod bestie Anthony Effinger, whose contribution to this week’s cover package examined how the Rose Festival weathered the past few years and how it plans to deliver in the years to come.

By the way, Rose Festival Foundation chief operating officer Marilyn Clint is allergic to roses. Portland is wild.

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