The Old Port Festival is Ending

No more giant puppet parade after this summer!

This summer will be the 46th Old Port Festival and the last one...ever.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the Portland Downtown Executive Director Casey Gilbert, said it's been a good run.

This started 46 years ago as a neighborhood parade with the iconic (and to some scary as hell) puppets from Shoestring Theater.

Then they added music, food, games, crafts and more food. Thousands would crowd the streets of Portland in early June.

Gilbert said it wasn't because of money. But she didn't really say why it's ending. She just said that it's time for Downtown Portland to move on and focus on other events. The Old Port Festival was always the unofficial start to summer. I guess we will have to rely on a calendar now.

It's too bad. I always looked forward to the festival for the insanity of it all...and the first of many blooming onions to kick off the summer.