Pendleton Round-Up princesses steal the Senate floor
Published 8:00 am Thursday, June 8, 2017
- PARIS ACHEN/CAPITAL BUREAU - A Pendleton Roundup princess sits with Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, during a Senate floor session at the Oregon Capitol in Salem Thursday, June 8, 2017.
SALEM – Pendleton Round-Up princesses stole the show on the Senate floor during a policymaking session Thursday.
Lobbyists and lawmakers alike gave the queen, four round-up princesses and two Happy Canyon princesses celebrity status. They pursued the girls in the Capitol hallways to snap photos with them.
When the Senate session began around 11 a.m., one of the princesses gave the invocation while others displayed the colors.
Each of them was assigned a senator to sit with at the lawmaker’s desk on the Senate floor.
The Pendleton Round-Up, held in September of each year since 1910, often draws politicians and excitement from around the state. In 2015, Gov. Kate Brown announced at the event that she would be seeking election at the event.
Senate President Peter Courtney commented from his podium that the girls greatly improved the looks of the Senate chamber and invited them to stay as long as they liked.
But September rolling around soon, when it will be time to unite in Pendleton to “Let ‘er buck.”
