The Iris Festival Parade took place earlier this afternoon. Despite the theme "Act of Kindness," most floats consisted of large quantities of water bottles and a few lucky folks had fans onboard. There was the normal presentation of classic cars, local youth sports teams and live music. Wells Fargo was also there with a horse-drawn coach.

There's still a lot of fun to be had this weekend in Keizer. Join in the festivities in the areas surrounding Keizer's Renaissance Inn (formerly the Wittenberg Inn). It features a carnival and midway, which will be open until 11:30 p.m. tonight and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. The Exhibitor Street Fair features local photographers, T-shirt vendors, and jewelry stands and also remains open today and tomorrow. On Sunday, Iris Half Marathon & 10K Run starts early tomorrow at 8:35 a.m.; Keizer's Community Band will be on the Family Stage near Keizer Fire Hall from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m., followed by the top 32 contestants of Volcanoes Idol who take the stage from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. to compete for the grand prize package valued at over $2,000.  

One child finds the ground more exciting than the parade passing by.

The crowd watching the parade covered both sides of River Road.

Carl's Jr. was happy to supply not only Paris Hilton's favorite burgers, but entertainment in the form of a polyester-clad star to the crowd. Here you can see the Carl's Jr. star dancing around on the sidelines of the parade.

Here the McNary Band tries to not pass out from heat exhaustion.

Clackamas High's Cavaliers made the trip to Keizer.

These "smart cars" showed the Iris Festival their own "Act of Kindness" for the planet by doing slow speed donuts.

Politicians were in full play today, especially County Commissioners, Keizer City Councilor members, and countless others rode by. Shown here is Mayor of Keizer Lore Christopher in a fashionable wicker hat.

Congresswoman Darlene Hooley of District 5 took time out of her busy schedule to wave at crowds. As she passed, many people yelled to her "Run again!"

Out of the "smart" cars featured above, one was conspicuously covered in Obama '08 stickers.

Speaking of national candidates, both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton had tents in the street fair. As you can see from this picture, only one tent stood between total Democratic war. You can feel sorry for the poor insurance company in the middle if you want.