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| Flag Twirlers |
The 128th Rose Parade presented by Honda begins at 8:00AM on MONDAY, January 2, 2017. It aired on HGTV @ 11:00 am Eastern Standard Time - Commercial Free!
I look forward to the Rose Parade every New Year's Day. It's my favorite parade, because as a New Englander, I love seeing all the flower covered floats in the middle of winter. This year, the parade is a day late due to the "Never on a Sunday" tradition that dates back to 1893. Worried about upsetting the horses tethered outside local Pasadena, California churches, organizers decided it would be better to have the parade on a Monday. The first Rose Parade was held in 1890. Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club understood that people just like me would be drawn to the mild climate with its abundance of floral displays. They first had games and then decided to have a parade of carriages decorated with blooming flowers. It was a great way to advertise California's beauty.
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| Rose Parade 1891 |
Ever since, it has been a rule that all floats must be covered in natural materials. Float volunteers must cover all surfaces of the floats with plants, seeds, bark, flowers, nuts, fruit, vegetables, and even seaweed. Nothing artificial is permitted. A tremendous amount of work, creativity and craftsmanship goes into the floats, taking up to 80,000 hours from 935 members each year. They take great pride in their sustainability practices, requiring recycling, energy efficiency and water conservation.
Nancy O'Dell, Egypt Sherrod, and Josh Temple are this year's HGTV Hosts. They'll tell us all about the unique features of each float, where the marching bands are from, and the history and traditions of the equestrian units. The parade travels along a 5 1/2 mile route of Colorado Boulevard, in beautiful Pasadena, CA.
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| This year's parade theme is Echoes of Success |
"Echoes of Success," is The 2017 Pasadena Tournament of Roses theme. It's a celebration of the people, institutions and organizations that help in the success of others. Through their selfless contributions and inspirational gifts we all benefit, and strive to develop our own characters.
Here are some of my favorite floats:
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| The 14th annual Donate Life float depicts a spectacular Polynesian-style catamaran. This float won the Best of Theme award for promoting organ donation. |
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| The Spirit of Hawaii won the Most Beautiful award. Sponsored by Dole which promotes sustainable farming practices and End Hunger campaigns. |
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| Designed by CAL POLY students, "A New Leaf " has eyes that move, and the chameleon changes color! |
Laura S. Pringle is the author of The Pringle Plan, a series of educational guides.
See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon
©2016 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.
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