The Rhody Parade and Cake Picnic are back this year to the delight of many in the Port Townsend community. 

For Lori Morris, the Rhody Festival president, it’s important to her that the community is able to get together to continue a tradition like this one. 

“I think it’s very important that we are doing this for the community. We all need something to celebrate especially now that the Delta variant is taking us the opposite way,” Morris said.

“I’m glad that we could be the ones who are doing it.”

The Rhody Parade and Cake Picnic are planned for Saturday, Aug. 14. 

In contrast to previous years, the parade only drew about 35 entries of those looking to participate, as opposed to a usual 80 to 90 entries, which will make it smaller and more streamlined than in the past. 

Morris said she hopes those who attend will stay safe and responsible, though the event is outdoors and will allow for room between community members to stay socially distanced. 

The royalty in this year’s parade will be those who were crowned in 2020: Princess Hailey Hirschel, Queen Jenessah Seebergoss, and Princess Brigitte Palmer. 

Unfortunately, when royalty was crowned last year, the parade had to be called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But Morris and others wanted to make sure 2020 royalty got to participate this year.

“We knew that the girls deserved a festival, and they deserved to be able to ride on a float,” she said. 

Also importantly, is to increase awareness of the LGBTQ+ community in Port Townsend, Olympic Pride and Gudlife are jointly sponsoring a festive LGBTQ+ contingent in the parade. 

Morris is grateful, as well, to all those who helped make this year’s Rhody return a possibility. 

As for the 2022 festival, Morris added that they are always looking for funding and volunteers.

The Cake Picnic is on once again, and it’s left locals layered in joy.

Organizer Danny Mulholland echoed Morris’s thoughts on the importance of festivities for the community. 

“I think it’s really exciting for the community. Obviously it’s a unique year having postponed the event till August,” Mulholland said of May’s cancellation. 

“We have a lot fewer parade entries, and we’re expecting a much smaller event than in a standard year, but it’s important that we don’t lose track of our community tradition, and that we don’t live in fear,” he said.

And if the frosting looks a little thin this year, it’s by design.

The Cake Picnic will be spreading its footprint, so that people aren’t so tightly packed. 

“It puts us in an awkward position,” Mulholland said of the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant. But it’s all outdoors. Our community is generally really well vaccinated, and we are still encouraging mask wearing.

“We need each other too, you know, we need to keep our culture alive,” he added. “We need to come together, and this is the 85th annual Rhododendron Festival.”

Mulholland encouraged those in attendance to wear costumes and masks in a fun way, in an effort to be mindful of the community’s well-being. 

In preparation for the event, there will be a costume- and mask-making party from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11 at Propolis Brewing Company. The party will be all-ages, though minors must be accompanied by someone over the age of 21.