After over two-month's preparation and under the collective effort of practitioners from Seattle and Portland, the beautiful lotus lantern float was completed and entered into the parade on the evening on December 8, 2001.
Due to rain, water filled in the lotus flower and the practitioners were busy draining the water. When the parade was near the end, several practitioners sat down and sent forth righteous thoughts. In a short while, the rain stopped and the audience gathered by the streets to watch.
Some practitioners distributed Dafa newspapers in the parade. The audience greeted us by cheering and waving hands. Some said, "Great, Falun Dafa!" "Such a beautiful lotus flower is only available in Heaven."
The audience of this parade was over 4,000. CBS News reported the parade live to 5 Northwest states. The parade is not only introducing Dafa in the Northwest but also increased the contact between practitioners in the region.