Some 20 years ago, there was something special started within the ranks of the Rose Festival.

Marilyn Clint was overseeing operations, and about eight young women started working in some capacity on Portland’s party. Two of them were Jessica Metteer, who started as a receptionist in 2003, and Adrian McCarthy, who began as a seasonal employee in 2004. With such a great base of women, Clint worked to produce the centennial Rose Festival (2007), which ranks right up there for Clint and the women involved as far as professional accomplishments.

Fast forward some 20 years later, and Metteer and McCarthy are back with the Rose Festival for what is expected to be the CEO Clint’s final year with the big nonprofit. Partly to help out the financially shaky Rose Festival, partly to work with Clint one more time, partly to be part of such a kinship again — Metteer and McCarthy have enjoyed their reunion.

“We can’t quit the Rose Festival,” McCarthy said. “We keep getting sucked back in.”

Both women moved on from the Rose Festival to pursue other aspects of their expertise — McCarthy public relations (notably with Street of Dreams), Metteer marketing (various agencies, and as contractor). McCarthy returned for the first time in nearly 20 years as a PR person in January, whereas Metteer has been back to work with Rose Festival on a few occasions, the latest stint starting in February as event producer. As contractors, they may or may not work for the Rose Festival again after 2025, but they’re living the dream right now.

“It’s always fun to work with the Rose Festival,” Metteer said. “Working with Adrian has been amazing. I adore her. We orbited around the same events community in Portland.

“Our group of Rose Festival girls from 2004 to ’07 through the centennial stayed in touch,” she added. “There are 6-7 women who have stayed in close contact.”

As far as McCarthy and Metteer working for the festival now, in Clint’s final festival, it’s “kismet, we were both available, at a time the festival needed it,” Metteer said. “Doing it with Marilyn is worth it. We’re going to celebrate her in a big way after the festival, it’s hard to think about the festival without Marilyn.”

She added, of Clint: “She’s absolutely my mentor. She’s been my mentor my whole career. Her story has been fantastic. She started as a receptionist (at Rose Festival) and so did I. She’s the one who showed it’s possible. I’ve volunteered every year with parades.”

McCarthy had spent time building her business, while she and her husband raised son Brady McCarthy and took care of her mother (who has Alzheimer’s). She heard the Rose Festival needed help, and “Marilyn Clint has been a longtime mentor of mine.”

She added: “I was a fledgling PR person at the time (mid 2000s). She believed in me and trusted in me. Best thing that could have happened to me, I learned very quickly, and it put me on a path to success and as independent business leader.”

McCarthy is a polished PR professional now, which the Rose Festival needed.

“I love the Rose Festival, I believe in its mission and and city of Portland,” McCarthy said. “I understood the financial situation of Rose Festival. Part of my commitment was to bring all the tools to work, as if it’s a full-time client of mine.”

McCarthy hired a “wonderful person” to do social media — Chloe Henderson, 24, who’s “young and eager” and a University of Oregon grad in business and marketing. “We needed to find somebody who owned the social media space,” McCarthy said. “Right person, right time.”

The right people at the right time working for the Rose Festival — the tradition continues.