Tricolours flew along Garvaghy Road as women residents huddled over a fire at their "justice" campsite last night, but the mood among nationalist residents was tense. Unpublicised efforts were being made to resolve the dispute before tomorrow's Drumcree march.
Last night there were traffic tailbacks into Portadown because of vehicle checkpoints around the town, with security forces concentrating on entrances to the Garvaghy Road area, making it clear that access to the area will be increasingly limited over the weekend.
Many residents noted the security presence and went into the town and did their shopping, lest things turn worse today.
Soldiers with sniffer dogs examined the area around Drumcree Church, where the Orangemen will hold their service. Some Orangemen have vowed to stand in the area for "365 days" if that is what it takes to march down Garvaghy Road. There are 1,400 members of the Portadown Orange Lodge, but if there is a stand-off, which is what many nationalist residents fear, thousands more Orangemen are expected to gather.
The sound of a British army helicopter circling above Drumcree Church added to the tension in the town. There was an air of fear among residents.
Early yesterday, after he returned to London following his brief visit to Northern Ireland on Thursday, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, telephoned the First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and the Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams. Mr Adams said he had also been in contact with President Clinton.
But there is still no sign of an agreement between Orangemen and residents, with many nationalists saying they were not optimistic the issue could be resolved before Sunday's parade.
Many were critical that only the Irish Government had entered into dialogue with the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition to discuss the parade.
Last night the residents' spokesman, Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, said he was still waiting to meet the person who the Northern Ireland Office said was travelling to Portadown to meet him to discuss the issue.
"At noon today I received a call from the Northern Ireland Office asking if I would meet with someone this afternoon. I said yes, we would be willing to meet anyone," said Mr Mac Cionnaith. He was not told who the person was, but there was speculation it was someone from Mr Blair's office.
Last night, as residents met at the local community centre to discuss the parade, a young Portadown woman, who would only give her first name, said she was afraid of what will happen on Sunday. "I got all my shopping in today, because I was too afraid to go out tomorrow, and I know a lot of people are buying stuff in case there is a stand-off again," she said.
The mother of three said she felt relieved when the Northern Ireland Parades Commission decided to reroute the Orange parade, but then felt "deflated" because she knew that "not in a million years" would the Orangemen accept it.
Yesterday, a few families along Garvaghy Road loaded suitcases into their cars to escape Portadown over the weekend.
Mrs Rosemary Toland is sending her mother and her three sisters away to a house they are renting in the seaside town of Newcastle, Co Down. "A lot of us are getting out. People are scared of staying. Even though they want to stand up for themselves they feel they're better off out of it. I'm not against the Orangemen but I don't think they have a right to come down here," said Mrs Toland.
Hopes of resolving the issue before the parade faded steadily last night, but women at the "Justice Camp" urged the Orangemen to voluntarily reroute.
They were not optimistic that the problem could be resolved before Sunday and were fearful that the parade could be forced through.