Union County Ag and Timber Parade Returns to Island City in 2026

Island City officials confirmed in a bulletin posted March 2, 2026 by Karen Howton that the long-running Union County Ag & Timber Parade will return in 2026 as a spring kickoff for the county’s parade and festival season. The city bulletin announced the parade’s revival but the bulletin excerpt is truncated and does not include a full schedule, so organizers have circulated additional event listings with date and lineup details.

A local event listing puts the parade on Friday, May 9 at 6 p.m., and names John Cuthbert as grand marshal, stating, "The Ag Timber Parade returns to Island City on Friday, May 9, at 6 p.m." The same listing identifies the Union County Farm Bureau as sponsor and repeats the parade logistics that residents have seen in past years.

Entry for the parade is listed as free. Organizers are offering awards in agricultural, timber and commercial categories and provide an email for entries, agtimberparade@gmail.com, while a separate contact line used in prior years is 541-962-2069 for entry forms. The event listing states, "Entry is free, and award categories are agricultural, timber and commercial. To enter the parade, email agtimberparade@gmail.com."

Lineup and route details remain consistent with past practice: parade entries will line up on D Street in Island City, and a described route runs south onto McAlister Road. A prior routing used in 2022 adds an eastward leg on Island Avenue and a finish at Buchanan Lane, with a lineup time of 5 p.m. and a 6 p.m. start for an hour-long procession featuring fire engines, log trucks, vintage cars and farm equipment. Local public safety partners historically providing traffic control include Union County Search and Rescue and the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

Safety rules for family viewers are explicit: one listing says, "Candy is allowed, but must be handed out, instead of thrown from the vehicles," and organizers in past years asked participants to refrain from throwing candy from any moving vehicle or equipment to keep small children safe. Parade organizers have confirmed the candy policy in event materials but have not detailed enforcement procedures in the bulletin excerpt.

Sponsorship and grand marshal designations differ across recent notices and previous years. The current event listing shows the Union County Farm Bureau as sponsor and John Cuthbert as grand marshal, while earlier parade years listed Oregon Women in Timber as sponsor and Bowman Trucking as grand marshal. Tiffany Sherman of Oregon Women in Timber previously said, "Oregon Women in Timber has been sponsoring the parade for 23 years."

Island City’s March 2 bulletin signals the parade’s return; residents who want to enter or to confirm lineup, final route, safety staffing and award criteria should use the published contacts, agtimberparade@gmail.com or 541-962-2069, and watch for the city to post the full parade details and deadlines.