Blue Mountain Community College will celebrate the Class of 2020 Thursday evening with a special “Parade of Graduates” in lieu of its traditional commencement ceremony, which wasn’t possible due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
The Parade of Graduates will begin at 7 p.m. on the BMCC Pendleton campus. Graduates will line up in the “triangle” parking area at the bottom of the BMCC hill, and will drive up the hill and around campus in a parade. Graduates may have their immediate family members inside their vehicles during the parade. Graduates’ families and friends, as well as faculty, staff and other community members are invited to park in designated areas around campus to cheer on the graduates as they drive by. Guests should plan to arrive on campus by 6:45 p.m. While noisemakers are welcome, fireworks, firecrackers, poppers and confetti are prohibited.
The parade will first begin with the singing of the National Anthem, performed by JJ Hill, who will also serve as the parade’s emcee. BMCC President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier will provide a welcome, and then graduates will hear a performance of “The Honors Song” by Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation member Charles Wood III, before “Pomp & Circumstance” begins.
The parade will broadcast live from campus on 95.6 FM and 1290 AM KUMA radio, as well as livestream on the radio station’s website. In addition, BMCC will broadcast a live stream of the event from its YouTube channel. The college will also record the event, as well as capture the parade via aerial drone footage courtesy of BMCC agriculture instructor and certified Unmanned Aerial Systems pilot Drew Leggett. Graduates are asked to begin lining up their vehicles in the triangle area beginning at 6 p.m., and should plan to be in place by 6:45 p.m. Graduates are encouraged to decorate their vehicles, and the Associated Government will hand out free decorating kits at the triangle from 5-6 p.m. Detailed information for graduates and guests can be found on the college website.
