United States Air Force airmen do rifle drills at Live on Green at the Pasadena Convention Center.
by Laura Berthold Monteros
Sorting through Rose Parade photos, we came across these snapshots from Live on Green, so we put together an album to share some of the sights. Live on Green was held on the three days preceding the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade. It’s a place for folks to drop in while they are waiting for the big day, whether they are from the community or in town for the Rose Parade.
The event focused on the United States Air Force in celebration of its 70th anniversary. One of the halls in the Pasadena Convention Center was filled with Air Force displays and interactive exhibits for science and engineering. Another had beach volleyball and other sports, chalk drawing, and the Dole Whip booth. Music, entertainment, and celebrity chefs sharing their recipes were throughout the campus.
Representing the non-profits that enrich the community were Food Share, which collects food for its Ventura County food bank; Pasadena Humane Society, with the mobile adoption unit; Union Station Homeless Services, San Gabriel Valley’s largest social services agency; and ONE Archives Foundation from USC.
ONE has the largest collection of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) materials in the world. It was named after a magazine founded in 1952 specifically for the homosexual community. The archive has a collection of travel guides that lasted safe places for LGBTQ tourists to visit and stay. There are three million pieces in the collection, which make it a valuable resource for researchers. Some 720 used the collections in 2016, and 120 educational history panels are available to schools, non-profits, and community events.
Read the captions to the photos for more about what we saw!
Photo right: Mannequin members of the USC Trojan Marching Band and Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band guard the newly-minted Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the most beautiful entry in parade with outstanding floral presentation and design.
Live on Green—named for the street at right in the photo—provided entertainment and activities in the days before the 2017 Rose Parade. Fiesta Parade Floats created a mock-up of a parade float with pieces from previous floats.
Kids play beach ball volleyball at the Pasadena Convention Center during Live on Green.
Pasadena has one of the largest chalk festivals annually. These artists give a foretaste at Live on Green in the days before the 2017 Rose Parade.
This is some car! Sponsors are local Pasadena businesses.
United States Air Force airmen drill under the leadership of TSgt. Brian Kocher at Live on Green in the Pasadena Convention Center a couple days before the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade.
United States Air Force airmen drill under the leadership of TSgt. Brian Kocher at Live on Green in the Pasadena Convention Center a couple days before the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade.
United States Air Force airmen drill under the leadership of TSgt. Brian Kocher at Live on Green in the Pasadena Convention Center a couple days before the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade.
United States Air Force airmen drill under the leadership of TSgt. Brian Kocher at Live on Green in the Pasadena Convention Center a couple days before the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade.
TSgt. Roy Campos from Goodfellow AFB displays the gear military firefighters wear at Live on Green. It weighs 20 pounds, and the equipment is an additional 85 pounds. All firefighters in the military come through Goodfellow and are trained in structure fires, hazmat, and medical response. Their motto is “Train as if someone’s life depended on it, because it does.”
SSgt. John Stevens represented the Flying Tigers, stationed at Moody AFB, and had lots of decals and stickers for the kids. He said the Flying Tigers work to remember their heritage, which goes back to 1942.
Even an injured airman on a gurney needs his sock monkey! This section at Live on Green showed folks what a military medic does.
Science and engineering displays gave an opportunity for visitors to Live on Green to experiment and get hands-on learning.
Science and engineering displays gave an opportunity for visitors to Live on Green to experiment and get hands-on learning.
Airmen assigned to remotely piloted aircraft, such as this MQ-1 long-flying reconnaissance drone, do not display their names to avoid their becoming targets. The tailboards are oriented down to provide stability and the plane carries two missiles.
ONE Archives Foundation at USC has the largest collection of LGBTQ materials in the world. The name comes from the magazine one, which was founded in 1952.
The piece de resistance at Live on Green: raspberry pineapple Dole Whip, usually available only at Disney parks.
Pasadena Humane Society Mobile Outreach brings dogs and cats to the community. This gal is Kara, a two-year-old pit mix, handled by volunteer Bill Lambrith.
Wes, a five-year-old rat terrier mix, cuddles with volunteer Kelly Douglas.
It was 2011 when we first wrote about the California Grown credential awarded by the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC). The California Clock Company contacted us about their 2012 Rose Parade float celebrating their 80th anniversary and their most famous product, the ubiquitous Kit-Cat clock. They insisted on floral materials that were grown in California, and along with Cal Poly Universities, achieved California Grown status. In order to be certified, 85 percent of the floral materials on an entry must be grown in the Golden State.
By 2017, three floats and the Tournament of Roses vehicles carrying Rose Parade honorees, received certification, despite the years-long drought that plagued California agriculture until early 2017. The floats were Miracle-Gro “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” Cal Poly Universities “A New Leaf,” and California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) “Legacy of Generations.” We were able to attend the ceremonies at Fiesta Parade Floats for Miracle-Gro and CMAB, but there are photos of all the honorees below, along with links to more extensive articles on the Tournament of Roses entries.
