Photo courtesy of South Pasadena Tournament of Roses
South Pasadena showcased its support for athletics through the float “Booster Club” at the 129th annual Tournament of Roses. The South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee, a sanctioned nonprofit organization, constructed the float to honor the various parents who have worked to make South Pasadena an enjoyable town for all.
South Pasadena retained its individuality in a Tournament of Roses that has become increasingly dominated by massive company-funded floats with a self-built float that was created entirely through volunteer work. The centerpiece of this year’s float is a maroon car being driven by a host of animals that are representative of the town of South Pasadena, including a tiger for South Pasadena’s school district and an ostrich to pay homage to the ostrich farm that once played an important role in the town’s history. The animals’ car pulls a wagon filled with high school pennants and cheerleaders’ megaphones as well as a grill to celebrate South Pasadena’s constant spirit.
Volunteers from outside and within South Pasadena arrived not long after the metal framework of the float was welded together to help with the process of decoration since November. Participants spent hours at a time working on small tasks from pulling the petals of of flowers to gluing beans to the side of the car. These tasks at first seemed small and disjointed, but soon these different activities began to converge and the float began to take a beautiful shape.
People from all over Southern California camped out on the parade route since noon on December 31st in order to catch a glimpse of the parade’s proceedings. While people were setting up chairs and sleeping bags along Orange Grove, South Pasadena’s float was being judged by the Rose Parade Committee. Unfortunately, the amateur built float did not receive an award. Despite this, the float represents another job well done for the “oldest self-built float” in the Tournament of Roses.
According to SPTOR Construction Chair Chris Colburn, this years float is a fantastic representation of South Pasadena as a city.
“This was an exceptional build year for the South Pas float.” Colburn says, “We had an awesome dynamic on both the construction and deco crews. This year was especially fun because we were able to incorporate the SPHS Tiger mascot into this year’s design. Many of the people that are on the SPTOR Committee are SPHS Alumni, so this float has a really special place in our hearts.”
