A lot of things make Marilyn Clint happy, and many of them center around her job and 50-year history with the Rose Festival.

Clint began her Rose Festival career shortly after graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1974. She had tried to be a Rose Festival princess, as Clint and her mother loved the festival, but her bid came up short. Clint walked into the Rose Festival to be a seasonal worker as a receptionist after high school, and she has been involved for much of the 50 years — 45 Rose Festivals, she said, missing some because of other commitments.

She became the “Parade Queen,” as a leader of the Starlight Parade and Grand Floral Parade, and served as the longtime chief operating officer. Now CEO, she has helped the Rose Festival navigate financial issues, trying to steady the organization for the future.

The Rose Festival’s future will be without Clint, who plans to retire after the 2025 festival.

“I don’t know if it’ll be July or whenever,” she said. “I haven’t made any secret that my time is coming to a close, we’ve talked about it.”

As she goes through, probably, her final Rose Festival (at least as an employee), she can’t help but think of all the great people who have been involved with Portland’s party.

“A lot of my dearest friends come from volunteers and Rose Festival,” she said. “This Rose Festival family is so huge. Together we’re able to celebrate friends, able to grieve when we lose longtime friends and to build new friends.”

Upon retirement, who knows whether Clint will continue as a volunteer. She does know that 2026 brings the country’s 250th birthday, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Starlight Parade. Clint managed the first Starlight Parade in 1976.

“One of things that I’m passionate about is history and Rose Festival history,” she said. “It’d be really hard for me not to be involved (next year). We’ll see whoever is running things or how they feel about it. I wouldn’t be good at float decorating, I’m so allergic to everything. I’m a planner, love to plan things.”

Clint, who turned 70 in April, has a plan. She lives with her sister, Charlie, and two cats, Jonnie and Janie. Charlie had a stroke last year, and has been recovering for the past 11 months. She’s recovering well. She’s lost 40 pounds, Clint said.

A longtime Kenton resident, Clint had been looking for a house (outside of the city) for her and Charlie.

When she takes time away from Rose Festival, she and Charlie love taking road trips around the Pacific Northwest, playing ukulele and listening to music — especially the Beatles.

Clint attended Roosevelt High and then Portland State University. She later received a Certified Festival and Event Executive certification from Purdue University in Indiana. Clint describes herself as a “hard-worker.”

She has been known for her creativity and innovative programming, building programs such as the Rose Festival’s Cleanest & Greenest Festival parade cleanups, Living History Program and the Rose Festival Clowns. Clint is executive producer of the annual Grand Floral Parade telecast and was the architect of the festival’s Centennial Celebration in 2007.

“It’s kind of awe-inspiring, how could anybody stay in one spot for so many years, with the same energy?” said Jeremy Emerson, Rose Festival Foundation board president. “If you can make a living do these things for 50 years, I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Don’t know if anybody could be more Rose Festival than Marilyn.”

Said Clint, of the Rose Festival:

“It has stayed relevant. We change enough but we stay the same. … It’s the coming together. I get all esoteric, about those defining things about our civilization, traditions and rituals that make us a community or civilization. You can call it corny or whatever. … We’re part of that tradition.”