Portland airport's beloved carpet gets sentimental sendoff (and namesake beer)

TSA officers Andrea Green, left, and Edmund Gray stand beside a piece of old carpet from the terminal at Portland International Airport during a press conference in Portland Ore., March 20, 2015. (Michael Lloyd, The Oregonion)

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Visitors and Oregon locals lined up inside Portland International Airport to have their photos taken with an odd celebrity -- a piece of nearly 30-year-old carpet.

Before the day was over, more than 800 photo booth-style pictures were snapped of people standing next to the segment of floor covering, hung up for an event called PDX Carpet Fest.

It was classic Portland, a city known for keeping it weird: a farewell party for the airport's trademark teal carpet, which is being replaced after three decades under travelers' luggage wheels.

"I guess this carpet is really iconic, and I can't imagine another city getting this worked up over carpet," said Sierra Prior, a Portland resident who posed for photos before boarding her plane to New Orleans.

The unmistakably '80s carpet at the airport known as PDX is decorated with dark-blue lines and red, lavender and purple dots meant to symbolize air traffic controllers' view at night.

As word spread that it would be torn up, the weathered floor covering became an online superstar.

More than 40,000 "foot selfies" -- photos people took of their feet on the carpet -- were plastered on Instagram. The carpet got its own Facebook and Twitter pages.

Some local companies started selling T-shirts, coffee mugs and other products featuring its signature pattern.

"I'm getting married on November 6th, and I think I'm going to have all my groomsmen wear the PDX carpet socks," said Derek Harguth, a Portland native who went to the airport to check out the PDX Carpet Fest.

More:
Portland airport's beloved carpet gets sentimental sendoff (and namesake beer)