CENTRAL POINT, OR – Since 1954, tens of thousands of parade lovers have cherished Medford’s Pear Blossom Parade. Growing from a small contingency of local children pulling wagons, the Annual Parade is now Southern Oregon’s largest.
The Pear Blossom Parade has grown from 20 wagons and youngsters in the first event to today’s 150 entries and 4000 participants, with 25-30,000 enthusiasts lining the parade route, and tens of thousands watching the streaming event online.
One of several handmade dogs aligning the nearly completed float.
Honored as the Grand Marshal for the 2025 Pear Blossom Parade, Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) was invited to create the parade theme. With all staff invited to nominate ideas there were several creative themes put forth. Ultimately, Breeding and Canine Health Director Kerinne Levy suggested the winning theme, Two Pears of Paws, playing on the name of the parade and naturally how DBL works with dogs.
“Throughout its 71-year history associated events have been added, including the Scholarship Pageant, Run, and Street Fair,” stated Pear Blossom Festival Board President, Darcey Mann-Self. “In recent years, the Pear a Fare (local artisan food & beverage tent) and the Smudge Pot Stroll (downtown restaurant event) have been added to make ‘The Pear Blossom’ a true ‘Festival.’ We are very excited for 2025 to give even more of our community an opportunity to be involved in Medford’s oldest tradition, and so pleased to have Dogs for Better Lives as our Grand Marshal!”
Blossom Festival’s Street Fair takes place in downtown Medford (OR) this coming weekend, Friday, April 11th and Saturday April 12th. The parade itself is on Saturday morning, starting at 11:00 am. The parade starts at Beatty & Central, proceeds down Central Avenue, turns right onto West Main Street, and begins dispersing at Mistletoe. On both Friday and Saturday, DBL will also participate in the festival with a staffed information booth, including volunteer raisers and puppies and program staff with dogs in training.
DBL is also grateful to longtime partner Harry & David and their support of the float, in providing more than 5,000 chocolate truffles to be handed out along the route to parade enthusiasts.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to further immerse ourselves into our local community, while supporting a longstanding festival that brings everyone together,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “We’re very honored to be serving as the Grand Marshal and looking forward to visiting with many of our volunteers, friends, family, and community partners throughout the event.”
The Pear Blossom Parade has grown from 20 wagons and youngsters in the first event to today’s 150 entries with 4000 participants and 25-30,000 enthusiasts lining the parade route. The Pear Blossom is a pillar in the community emphasizing family values, commitment, and pride in the Rogue Valley.
“I’m excited for our community to learn how DBL, rooted here in the Rogue Valley, improves the lives of people and dogs across the country,” stated Tom Dobry, Board Chair and Officer with Lithia & Driveway.”
