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(This photo of the Hawthorne Bridge is for illustration purposes only. Translation: it’s a pretty stock photo because we couldn’t find a good one of the Morrison Bridge.)
A DSN visitor emailed this to us earlier today…
Got a tip for you here, if you haven’t already heard it…
The Willamette Light Brigade plans to light the Morrison Bridge in downtown Portland in Purple and Gold this week. Ironic/angering timing considering the UW UO football game this weekend. Even as a diehard 3rd generation Beaver alumni this frustrates me. I can’t remember any OSU or UO heritage weeks recently? And to do that while 20000 duck fans drive by each day? I already emailed the contact at their website encouraging them to prepare for some serious flack from Duck/Pac10 Fans.
Willamette Light Brigade
http://www.lightthebridges.org/index.php
OK. I’m only familiar with “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, not the Willamete Light Brigade. Considering there’s something here that got a Beaver fan all worked up, I went to the source.
According the website, this is their purpose:
WHY LIGHT PORTLANDS BRIDGES?
To make the Willamette River and its bridges the visual focus of our city by night as well as by day.
To visually enhance the historic and remarkable features of the bridges.
To highlight and honor these structures which connect the mutually-dependant east and west neighborhoods of Portland.
To show in a bright and cheerful manner the civic pride felt by those who live and work here.
To strengthen positive impressions of our city gained by visitors, business and tourist alike.
To add a dimension of delight to river crossings.
Up until this point, I’m fine with all that. I like the idea of lighting up bridges. I think it should be done throughout the state. I don’t care what it costs. Wouldn’t lighting up the bridges over the Willamette and McKenzie rivers around Eugene add a little cheer and civic pride to those hideously boring pieces of architecture? Sure they would. And of course that’s why it will never happen. Because it makes sense.
But this is the part I don’t understand:
Purple and gold this week to celebrate the University of Washington and support the Huskies!
WHAT?! IN THE CITY OF PORTLAND? IN OREGON? AND WHY CAN’T YOU DO THIS IN VANCOUVER…WASHINGTON! OR BRITISH COLUMBIA! WHO IN THE WIDE, WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS APPROVED THIS? WHAT BUREAUCRATIC MONKEY WITH THE CITY OF PORTLAND, MULTNOMAH COUNTY, THE STATE OF OREGON OK’D THIS? I WANT A HEAD ON A PLATTER NOW! I DEMAND SATISFACTION! I DEMAND JUSTICE!
Needless to say, this makes very little sense to me and has me quite perplexed.
I have but one question: could Duck fans get away with this in Seattle? (Because you know there are like 50,000 Oregon alumni up there.)
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Does this make sense to you?
If it does not, and you’re interested in bringing on “The Charge of the Heavy Brigade”, let them know at information@LightTheBridges.org.
“When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!”
JM, thanks for the tip.
- Duck Sports News staff
[UPDATE: Addicted to Quack has a good follow-up to this story here.]
