2008 Tournament of Roses2008 Tournament of Roses-Rose Bowl-Long Beach Float-The Passport to the Pacific-The History-The Floats-The Parade-The Game-GO TROJANS!LONG BEACH REAL ESTATE
2008 Tournament of RosesPasadena California
THE HISTORY, THE FLOATS, THE PARADE, THE GAME THE PASSPORT TO THE PACIFIC-LONG BEACH FLOAT
HISTORY
The Tournament of Roses was founded in 1890 by the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club. Thrilled with the mild weather and blooming flowers they decided to hold a festival to tell the world about their paradise.
Over time the festival expanded to include:
The Tournament of Roses Association was formed in 1895 when the festival had become too large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle. The Tournament of Roses Associations executive offices are located at Tournament House, an Italian Renaissance-style mansion once owned by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr.
After Mrs. Wrigleys death in 1958 the house and surrounding land were donated by the Wrigley family to the City of Pasadena with the stipulation that they be used for the Tournaments Headquarters. Built between 1906 & 1914 this majestic home is located among the grand houses along South Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena.
The football game was first added in 1902; Stanford University took on and lost to the University of Michigan 49-0; it was such a bust Roman style chariot races were held instead for the next 14 years. Football didnt return until 1916, the crowds grew and 'The Rose Bowl' was constructed to host the games. The first game was held at The Rose Bowl in 1923.
THE FLOATS
Todays motorized floats are elaboratly constructed all year long, feature high-tech computerized animation and are mostly built by professionals. Many of the floats are built by the Phoenix Decorating Company. This years floats can be viewed here.
The City of Long Beach 2008 themed float 'Passport to the Pacific', designed by Michelle Lofthouse is #68 of the 91 entries this year.
The float specs: Height: 25ft.; Width: 18 ft.; Length: 53 ft.
The Tournament of Roses website describes the float theme:
The City of Long Beach and its Convention and Visitors Bureau offer a Passport to the Pacific that is equal to any Pacific metropolis. As a gateway to the entire Pacific Rim, Long Beach offers a celebrated passport for tourism as well as world-wide trade and commerce.
From Jules Verne and Captain Nemo to a Beatles song and movie, submarines have provided a passport to fantastic adventure. Long Beach and its fanciful underwater craft offer parade viewers an adventuresome 'Passport to the Pacific,' complete with menacing octopus and colorful piscatory creatures worthy of the citys Aquarium of the Pacific, the 10th anniversary of which the float celebrates. Long Beach, which is a gateway to the Pacific Rim, is also home to the Queen Mary, an annual Sea Festival, and the Long Beach Grand Prix car race which links downtown streets with the citys unsurpassed shoreline.
The submarine is created with silverleaf, poppy seed, and lettuce seed, highlighted by a lentil seed stripe, and a yellow strawflower periscope. The octopus is created with lentil, strawflower and kumquat halves. The turtles have shells of black beans, crushed walnut shell, ground rice, parsnip seed, strawflower and white beans; their faces and fins are onion seed and walnut shell. The sharks feature statice, poppy seed, silverleaf and white carnation petals. The kelp is created with lentil and kumquat halves, green seaweed is made up of ti leaves. The water rings around the sub are orchid petals and ground rice. Rocks are parsnip seed, walnut shell. Accents on the sea floor are black lichen moss, mood moss, giant sponge mushrooms king mushrooms, mini lotus pods, trumpet pods and moneta leaves. The base of the float includes iris, roses cattleya orchids and curly willow.
Long Beach is where the action begins and the fun never ends. From the regal Queen Mary and spectacular Aquarium of the Pacific, celebrating its 10th anniversary, to stirring Broadway shows, live music venues and hundreds of exclusive dining destinations"all centrally located - Long Beach is the perfect destination!
The submarines propeller rotates, and the 25-foot tall periscope and tower lift and retract to accommodate passage beneath the 17-foot freeway underpass near the end of the parades route.
FLOAT VIEWING
This years floats can be viewed at the Buena Vista Pavilion in Duarte, Dec. 28 - Dec. 31. Mapquest Map of Buena Vista Pavilion.
The Buena Vista Pavilion is the official Tournament of Roses float decorating and public viewing site and is also the decorating home of Fiesta Parade Floats, the Tournaments leading award-winning float builder. As many at 40,000 visitors and volunteers are expected in the days leading up to the parade to view 9 of the 12 floats being constructed and decorated at this site. The Buena Vista Pavilion offers convenient on-site parking, eye-level viewing of the floats and guided tours in English and Spanish. It is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with the family.
Viewing hours are Friday, Dec. 28 to Sunday, Dec. 30, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. General admission is $5, children 3 years of age and under, free. Admission is good for two visits to any of the Tournament of Roses four public viewing sites. Parking for cars is $2. For more information, or to inquire about group tours, call (626) 256-0155, or visit the website at http://www.duarterosefloats.org.
Post Parade:
Showcase of Floats is presented by Eastman Kodak Company and Bayer Advanced.
Date/Time: (Rain or shine)
Location: End of Parade route on Sierra Madre Blvd - see Park & Ride shuttle locations
Admission: $7.00 for all adults (including seniors), free for children 5 and under (Cash and credit cards accepted, no checks please)
Further information, including parking instructions, can be found here.
THE PARADE
This years Rose Bowl Parade Theme is Passport to the Worlds Celebrations.
Each year new attendees of the Parade discover that most of the parade viewers have parked their car in Pasadena the day before the parade and are camped along the streets overnight in order to secure a position to view the parade. It is quite a festive event and an interesting way to spend your New Years Eve. If you plan on doing this it is wise to arrive in the Pasadena area as early as possible on Dec. 31.
Where Can I 'camp out' the night before the Rose Parade?
People can 'camp out' on the Parade route starting at noon on December 31. All 'campers' must stay on the curb prior to midnight. After midnight, they may move out to the blue line. For questions about what is and is not allowed on the Parade route, contact the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 405-4621.
THE GAME
Following the Rose Parade, at 2:00 PM (PST), the 94th Rose Bowl Game will feature the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the University of Southern California Trojans - GO TROJANS! (Hey its my home turf, I can be partial). The Rose Bowl game will be broadcast exclusively on ABC and on ESPN radio. Further information can be found here.
If you plan on attending any of these events leave yourself plenty of time, Pasadena is innundated with visitors at all of these events and parking is difficult at best.
Have a great time and: GO TROJANS!!!
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Posted on December 29, 2007 00:24:37 by Laurie Manny Professional Group
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