Everything comes up Roses in SoCal!

“In New York, people are buried in snow,” announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. “Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.”

And so….they did! And in 1890 the Rose Parade was BORN! (Incidentally? I had to shovel out of 32 inches of SNOW to get to the airport to get to the parade in 2011! So that above quote is spot on!

Every year about a million people flock to southern California for the Parade…the bowl….to cheer on their kids as their band marches for a very long time…and really, to soak up the California sunshine! They estimate that these little festivities bring about 400 million in revenue for Southern California. I believe it….and? I believe it to be worth it!

Since we’re using numbers in the millions? Let’s discuss the approximate number of flowers used on the floats? THAT number my friends, is about 18 million! INSANE! And? All together SO COOL! Usually there are 40+ floats in the parade, and they are wildly creative, and they MUST be covered ENTIRELY, in some sort of a living plant. The more actual ROSES, the better, but seeds, petals, bark, leaves, fibers, stems, vegetables, nuts, and almost any other part of a plant are also used! Every single visible part of the float must be covered. It’s fascinating.

The life of a float is pretty wild…and the thought and love that goes into the floats is overwhelming! I mean growers must time their growing cycle exactly so that the flowers are ready to be picked and shipped just a few days before the parade!

Volunteers from all over help out! YOU could be one! (They’ll call you “Petal Pushers” and you’ll love it!) There are many different requirements as to height, as there is a bridge to pass under, and the float must be able to fit under the bridge in less than 25 seconds so as to NOT slow the parade! Planning starts in January, once the THEME is announced, then ideas must be submitted so there are no overlaps, and then by March the sponsor shopping begins! In May those builders must have a scale model to present to the sponsors! June sees them working on the main framework, and by September, the main construction is complete, and any small items are fabricated and installed on the float. Deliveries of non-perishable items such as seeds and beans start in October. Flowers start arriving in late-December and are stored in separate tents until they are needed. Approximately 30,000 workers, many of them young people from schools and church groups, report to the various builder’s construction sites to begin the round-the-clock job of decorating the floats. Most flowers are prepared by popping the heads off the stems before being glued in place. Delicate flowers are placed in narrow plastic vials filled with water before being pushed in place. Each float requires an average of 10,000 lbs of flowers and takes 7,000 person-hours or more to decorate! Are ya ready to “Push Petals”?!

And the floats…are just one aspect of the parade! Let’s not forget the bands that march! Often coming from far away, entire school districts coming together! It’s a huge honor, and a huge expense, so when you see them in next year’s parade? Cheer extra loud! Speaking of next year’s parade? Those kids have already been chosen, and are mostly likely selling every cookie, candy, pie, wrapping paper, known to man! So? BUY THEM!

There are also hundreds of horses. The equestrian teams are ALWAYS a part of the parade! As are the little white suits that clean up after them! Some year when you go to the parade…you’ll notice, because the crowds really get into it and cheer them on! The horses, are one of the reasons that the Tournament of Roses made the rule “never on a Sunday”! The parade is ALWAYS on January 1. UNLESS….it falls on a Sunday! Then…it’s held on January 2! Old School. We LIKE it! Well, along with too many people in church, and the competition for TV time with the NFL games? It was once said that that the church bells would spook the horses, and so? “Never on a Sunday”!

Rose Parade equals Awesome. When you do go, make sure you see the floats before they float as well as after, it’s really amazing! And ENJOY the weather that Southern California has to offer! They have the beach! They have Disneyland! They have In-N-Out Burger! Enjoy SoCal, and enjoy the parade!