Well worth a Mook
Dairy parade, rodeo and Milk Run kick off another great Tillamook summer
By Jordan Wolfe
For the TODAY
Grab a lasso, a lawn chair and probably some good running shoes because a trio of iconic Tillamook events are set to kick off summer with a packed final weekend of June.
The streets might not be paved with cheese, but that won’t stop Oregon’s original dairy parade from rolling through downtown Tillamook. The 69th June Dairy Parade — this year’s theme is “Stars, Stripes, and Dairy Delights” — begins at 11 am on Saturday, June 27, at the intersection of 11th Street and Main Avenue and typically runs about two hours. Tammy Samagaio, parade coordinator, anticipates between 110 to 125 unique entries and estimates that will translate to anywhere between 775 to 850 people participating in the parade.
“This is a day of fun for all ages,” she said, “Enjoy colorful floats, live entertainment, animals and don’t forget the clowns.”
The clowns will be joined in the parade by dancing horses, dancing humans from local studios, semi-trucks ferrying cheese, probably more clowns, classic cars and Smokey Bear himself. Samagaio said many entries make a special trip to Tillamook just for the parade including Portland’s Royal Rosarians and the North Queens Drill Team from Lynnwood, Washington. The parade is led by a Grand Marshal, who has yet to be named, followed by 2026’s Honorary Marshal Barbara McCann.
Every person who has been in or around Tillamook for the past six decades knows that the annual June Dairy Parade is the unofficial kickoff to summer on this part of the Oregon Coast and the weekend’s festivities include many opportunities for local fun.
The 39th annual Tillamook County Rodeo is slated for Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, with a 7 pm start time (doors open at 4 pm) at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds. The family-friendly events include barrel racing, bareback and bull-riding. The 2026 Tillamook County Rodeo Queen is 16-year-old Piper Armstrong, who attends Nestucca High School in Cloverdale.
For those looking to break a sweat before being a parade and rodeo spectator, Tillamook YMCA is hosting the annual Milk Run on Saturday at 8 am. The event begins and ends at the YMCA and features the choice between a two-mile walk/run, a 5k walk/run and a 10k run.
These events are in tandem with the state’s original dairy parade that looks to continue a proud tradition of celebrating one of the area’s cultural and economic backbones: the dairy industry.
Although the event is, as the name implies, held in June, Samagaio begins work on the parade in January. She said the first items on her checklist include submitting and collecting permits and reserving locations for staging and ordering various items the parade may need. One of the more stressful aspects of her job is organizing the parade line-up, but in the end, is a joy.
“It takes a small army of helpers to put this awesome parade together and I appreciate each and every one of them for taking time out of their busy schedules to help me with this,” Samagaio said, adding that she, too was once one of these helpers, and has been involved with the parade for 22 years.
Samagaio’s small army includes the many volunteers that help make the parade happen every year with a list of at least 20 people just in charge of helping stage and direct the parade entries from the various staging locations around Tillamook.
In downtown Tillamook, the parade route begins on Main Avenue at 11th Street and heads north — against the usual flow of vehicle traffic — to First Street where the route turns east for one block then south along Pacific Avenue until making one final turn east on Third Street and continues for about a half-mile where the parade concludes at Goodspeed Park. Judges will be staged downtown; local businesses sponsor trophies for each category for the top spots in the parade.
Samagaio estimates anywhere between 12,000 to 15,000 paradegoers will line the route, and she issued an invitation for all.
“The June Dairy Parade is the heart and soul of our wonderful community,” she said, “Bring your lawn chair and join our family.”
Tillamook’s 69th June Dairy Parade begins at 11 am on Saturday, June 27. The Tillamook County Rodeo begins at 7 pm on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27 — tickets are $20. For more information, go to tillamookrodeo.com. The YMCA Milk Run will begin at 8 am on Saturday, with a $50 entry fee. For more information, email info@tillamookymca.org.