Month: April 2018

Burgers and camaraderie at self-built float picnic

On: By: LBM

Cal Poly Pomona 2019 float team, L-R: Elizabeth Meyer, Nathan Muro, Stephanie Ferreya, Hana Haideri, Caitlin Yaneza, Wolfgang Breitenbach

by Laura Berthold Monteros

One might think that there would be a good deal of competition among the associations that build their own floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade. Indeed there is, but it’s all good-natured. Once a year, they get together for a picnic or potluck at one of the float sites to reveal the designs for the upcoming parade, talk shop, and share information. Your Rose Examiner dropped by the South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn. build site on Saturday to chat with some of the folks and glimpse the design sketches for the 2019 parade.

The floats will end up looking a good deal like the sketches, but there will be tweaks along the way, some by the builders as they work on structural and floral elements and some from the TOR Float Committee. With the theme being “The Melody of Life,” there’s an emphasis on incorporating musical elements in each entry. In the case of Sierra Madre Rose Float Assn., acceptance of the design was contingent on adding an instrument to the float. The team added a koto player to “Harmony’s Garden,” a depiction of the Japanese Garden on the grounds of Sierra Madre Elementary School.

Check out the photos below!

Five of the six self-built associations were at the picnic—SPTOR, Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn., La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn., SMRFA, and Cal Poly Pomona—which form a sort of necklace along the foothills. The remaining builder is Downey Rose Float Assn., which is further south. San Luis Obispo, the northern half of the Cal Poly Universities Rose Float, gets together with the Pomona when it rolls down in October.

We met Janetta Mcdowell, the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Director, and spoke with six of the students who are on the team this year. Despite all the hours they put in, they get no academic credit. “It’s a club, not a class,” they said. During crunch time towards the end of the year, they will be joined by other volunteers. Here’s a little about the students in the photo above.

  • Elizabeth Meyer is working on the float for her second year, last year as a volunteer and this year as a team member. She works on the hydraulics, a messy job but one that is redolent with the scents of childhood spent with her mechanical grandfather. She’s studying mechanical engineering and working on the float is her senior project.
  • Nathan Muro volunteered for a year before joining the float team two years ago. He is the design committee chair and is majoring in electrical engineering.
  • Stephanie Ferreya is an assistant chair of the design committee and is in her second year on the float. She majors in biology.
  • Hana Haideri is an electrical engineering major; this is her second year on the float team after volunteering for a year.
  • Caitlin Yaneza works on the electronics on the float as part of the construction team. This is her second year on the team. She is a psychology major.
  • Wolfgang Breitenbach is on the team for the first year. His choice was the deco committee, which handles the floral design. His major is manufacturing engineering, which he simplified for us by saying that it about automation and assembly lines.

Cal Poly Universities are known for engineering and agriculture, so we asked if anyone was an agriculture major. The head of the decorating committee, which is in charge of ensuring that floral and botanical choices are made, fulfilled, and get on the float, is an ag major, we were told.

The all-volunteer associations are very proud that they give the professional builders a run for their money. One of the Burbank volunteers noted that the only trophy designated for self-builts is the Founder Award, but in recent years, self-builts have frequently taken four or five trophies overall. In 2016, all six groups won awards. For long-time Rose Parade aficionados, the self-builts are the heart of the parade. It will be exciting to see how they fare in 2019.

“Three Little Birds” balance on a guitar in South Pasadena’s entry at the self-built picnic. Below the easel is a piñata in the logo of the Tournament of Roses.
Float designs are perched under the bridge that is part of the South Pasadena float site. From left, Burbank’s animal swamp band, Cal Poly’s astronauts, Sierra Madre’s “Harmony’s Garden,” and La Cañada Flintridge’s “Tree Frog Night,” with an amphibian string band.
Nathan Muro holds the sketch of the 2019 Cal Poly float, which shows astronauts rocking out with aliens. There is no name yet.
This little turtle greeted folks at the self-built picnic. He was a spinner on the 2017 South Pasadena float.

Rose Parade floats with Entertainment Value wins: TJ’s, UPS Store, Ag PhD, AARFA

On: By: LBM
The UPS Store sea monster promoted reading in the 2018 Rose Parade.

by Laura Berthold Monteros

The 129th Tournament of Roses Parade ushered in a new system of float awards. The 24 awards are divided into three categories plus Sweepstakes, in 2018 by Singpoli American BD. The gallery below has photos of the four winners in the Entertainment Value category. The theme of the 2018 Rose Parade was “Making a Difference.” From food to books to raising families, the sponsors of these floats make a difference to people across America.

The four awards and winners in the Entertainment Value category are

Extraordinaire Award for the most extraordinary float: The UPS Store “Books Bring Dreams to Life,” designed by Charles Meier and built by Paradiso Parade Floats

Wrigley Legacy Award for the most outstanding display of floral design, float design, and entertainment: Ag PhD TV and Radio “Salute to Farmers,” designed by John Ramirez and built by AES

Judges Award for most outstanding floral design and entertainment: American Armenian Rose Float Association “Armenian Roots,” designed by AARFA board member Johnny Kanounji and built by Phoenix Decorating Company

Showmanship Award for most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment: Trader Joe’s “Hats Off,” designed by Michelle Lofthouse and built by Phoenix Decorating Company

All photos are copyright 2018 by LB Monteros

The UPS Store “Books Bring Dreams to Life” from Paradiso Parade Floats illustrates how readers are swept up in new adventures through books. The gigantic sea monster breathed smoke. Complex hydraulics linking the segments enabled her to appear as if she was swimming in an ocean of roses and iris, while angel fish swam up and down in a spray of soap bubbles.
The head UPS Store sea monster was mounted on a gimbal that enabled it to move in multiple directions. The eyes moved from side to side and ears wiggled. Though the float was the standard 55 feet long, the neck and head moved out beyond that limit.
With a rotating head, moving eyes, wiggling ears, a neck that rocked back and forth, and a swishing tail that swung beyond than the 18 foot width, this sea monster provided quite a spectacle a the 2018 Rose Parade. The float won the Extraordinaire Award for the most extraordinary float.
A pirate finds adventure in a book on The UPS Store float. The scaly back was created almost exclusively with brilliant fresh flowers—more than 125,000 blooms—and a sprinkling of grapefruit, lemons, oranges, and limes.
Sailing on a book, a pirate waves at the Rose Parade crowd. Note the tether to the mast. The sea monster’s tail swished and the segments of the body swayed from side to side. The knobby starfish was covered in kumquats.
The Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, created by Phoenix Decorating Company, pedals along the 2018 Rose Parade route in his garish but dapper get up on “Hat’s Off.” Accompanied by equally decked-out tricyclists and walkers, Mr. Flyer prepares to doff his hat.
The tricycle “pulled” a rickshaw filled with Trader Joe’s crew members, shaded from the Pasadena sun by a colorful parasol. The float was 40 feet high and 75 feet long, with a produce-filled rickshaw behind.
As the hat came off, confetti and popcorn shot out of the can of corn on Trader Joe’s “Hats Off.” corn, animation. The Flyer’s arms, legs, and ankles flex to pedal the rotating big wheel.
The “aloha” jacket mirrors the aloha shirts worn by Trader Joe’s staff. The float used 87,460 flowers, 200 lemons, and a variety of dry materials.
Tricycles filled with fresh-cut stems went along for the ride, and walkers doffed their top hats to the crowd. The entry won the Showmanship Award for most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment.
A small rickshaw filled with Trader Joe’s produce and beverages is ready for a long march down Colorado Blvd.—or a tailgate at the Rose Bowl.
At 110 feet long, the two-section Ag PhD float was a colorful “Salute to Farmers” in the 2018 Rose Parade. AES designed and built the float, which featured a tractor and planter, a combine, and of course the men and women who produce our food. The combine appears to pump grain into a storage bin.
Towering over the Ag PhD float is a water tower, a familiar fixture in small town America. Ag PhD is a television and radio program that provides up-to-date information for farmers. The primary crops in its South Dakota home, soybeans, corn, and wheat, are featured on the float.
100 farmers representing all 50 United States rode on the Ag PhD float in the 2018 Rose Parade. The first entry for Ag PhD, the float won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral design, float design, and entertainment.
100 farmers representing all 50 United States rode on the Ag PhD float in the 2018 Rose Parade.
Mother Armenia is portrayed as a young woman on the American Armenian Rose Float “Armenian Roots.” The float was dedicated to Armenian mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers, who spend their lives “Making a Difference.” Created by Phoenix Decorating Company, the entry won the Judges Award for most outstanding floral design and entertainment.
Mother Armenia holds a pomegranate, a symbol of fertility, abundance, and marriage. The white veil has raffia fringe made using needles. The green veil and her dress extend to reflect typical Armenia carpet designs, using mums and roses.
Armenian women from many walks of life wave from a garden of yellow, coral, white, and red roses on “Armenian Roots.” The float used 167,400 flowers.
Armenian women from many walks of life wave from a garden of yellow, coral, white, and red roses on “Armenian Roots.” The float used 167,400 flowers.
Bright Armenian designs on the richly-flowered carpets used Kermit green mums and red roses, with various yellow and gold mums and blueberries for the trim.

Rose Parade rides: A car that’s a star and vintage autos for the celebrities

On: By: LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

J. Keith White, AIFD CFD takes a photo opp in the 1919 Dodge Brothers car while waiting for Grand Marshal Gary Sinise to arrive.

 

The Tournament of Roses Parade brings to mind huge floral floats with costumed riders gliding along Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. But the best way to ride in the 2018 Rose Parade may well have been in a vintage Packard with a bullet hole in the side. Or at least, it might be the most evocative! The vintage vehicles that the Tournament Entries Committee picks out for the president, grand marshal, mayor, and Hall of Fame inductees often have colorful histories, and sometimes mysterious ones. It’s a mystery how that bullet hole got there, but it’s fun to think about.

J. Keith White, AIFD CFD and Peter Samek, AIFD are tasked with decorating the cars every year. We enjoy stopping by to chat with the always-welcoming gentlemen and to get a look at the creative adornments. The floral designers carefully choose the colors to complement both the cars and the riders.

Fall colors for the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees in a 1933 Lincoln and 1909 Pope-Hartford brought to mind crisp autumn fields and cheering crowds. Florals in white on the 1929 Packard spoke to the dignity of  Pres. Lance Tibbet. The 1919 Dodge Brothers. that carried Grand Marshal Gary Sinise got several shades of purple that complemented the Pantone color of 2018, ultraviolet; read more about it here. Mayor Terry Tornek rode in 1924 Model TT jitney, decorated with baskets of florals and produce that recalled the bus’ first use as a produce truck.

The gallery with this article has photos of the vehicles in Rosemont Pavilion during deco week. Be sure to check out the captions for more on the flowering of the cars and some interesting facts. To see them in the parade, follow the links in the paragraphs above.

 

All photos are copyright 2017 by LB Monteros

Floral designer J. Keith White, AIFD CFD holds a stem of integrifolia at Rosemont Pavilion a few days before the 2018 Rose Parade. To his right are buckets of florals for the 1929 Packard.
Peter Samek, AIFD arranges floral material that includes Honey Bracelet greenery, garden roses, and decorative cabbages on the Packard, which carried by Pres. Lance Tibbet and family.
Mountings filled with floral foam are used to hold sprays of flowers. They are attached in a manner that doesn’t damage the cars.
Floral Designer White holds sprays of eucalyptus, which add interest and texture to arrangements. Choices for the vehicles, as for floats, are often unusual and surprising materials.
A day before the Rose Parade, the 1929 Packard is almost ready to roll. The car has a Standard Eight engine and right-hand drive to accommodate laws in Australia.
The back of the Packard is filled with sprays and garlands of white, green, and tan. A separate cowl and windshield to protect passengers in the rear seat from wind were part of the package.
With the Packard, solid steel disc wheels became standard, replacing spoked wheels.
Peter Samek pointed out a mysterious bullet hole just above the running board on the right side has been left unrepaired, perhaps to add interest and intrigue to the vintage Packard.
1919 Dodge Brothers car, owned by Keith and Marilyn Smith of Johnstown, Colo. Pods filled with floral foam are carefully strapped on to avoid scratches.
Floral designer J. Keith White chose ultraviolet, the 2018 Pantone color, and complementary shades of violet and pink for the Grand Marshal’s car. Here, hydrangeas, calla lilies, roses, and cabbage.
Flowers waiting to take a Rose Parade ride on the 1919 Dodge Brothers car.
Protea are hardy and add interest to arrangements. They are an ancient genus and have been around since the Cretaceous period.
An explosion of brilliant flowers in the vehicle area during Deco Week. Rose Parade floats use a lot of flower parts to cover the sculptures; the cars display full flowers in all their glory.
Bedecked with bouquets worthy of a movie star, this 1919 Dodge Brothers car carried Grand Marshal Gary Sinise down the 2018 Rose Parade route. It was driven by Jimmy Stewart in the 1947 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Yellow ribbons on the rear and sides of the 1919 Dodge Brothers honor the veterans that Gary Sinise advocates for, and the work the owners do to raise fund for vets.
For more about this 1919 Dodge Brothers car, read “Grand Marshal Gary Sinise tries out his Rose Parade ride” on TheRoseExaminer.com
The variety of flowers and other floral material in hues from the entire spectrum bring liveliness to the vintage automobiles that carry Rose Parade personalities down Colorado Blvd. on New Year’s Day.
Hydrangeas, gerbera, carnations, and greens in all shapes and shades are some of the many varieties of botanicals chosen for the Rose Parade vehicles.
Green ball dianthus has such an otherworldly quality, it could be out of a “Star Trek” landscape.
FTD icons are attached to all the vehicles, and like everything in the Rose Parade, they are covered with botanicals—onion seed and strawflower in this case.
Like the FTD icons, the signs that attach to the doors of the car use onion seed and strawflower. This 1933 KA Lincoln V12 Dual Cowl carried Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees.
This 1933 Lincoln, owned by Howard Henkels, has been in Pasadena since it was sold by Millers Ford Lincoln Agency on Colorado and Orange Grove at the very intersection where TV cameras and media photographers and reporters bring the Rose Parade to you.
Far from being an eyesore, Howard Henkels boyhood home was a place where he and his siblings learned a valuable trade repairing and reselling Lincolns. This article chronicles his mother’s court case.
1909 Pope-Hartford Model S Toy Tonneau, also owned by Howard Henkels, in the beginning stages of flowering during Deco Week.
The 1909 Pope-Hartford carried Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductees. The Tournament of Roses decided to use two cars instead of one to accommodate the football players.
The display on the front of the Pope-Hartford shows the beautiful fall colors chosen by designer J. Keith White for the Hall of Fame riders.
The Mayor of Pasadena, Terry Tornek, rode in a 1924 Model TT truck with his family and friends. It has served as a produce truck and a bus.
The jitney was decorated with baskets full of produce and flowers, a nod to its history. Owner Frank Dupuy transformed the produce truck into a bus when he bought it in 1949. He lived in Altadena with his wife Jo and a collection of antique trucks.
A key element in the Rose Parade is fun. The decorations on the 1924 Model TT combine florals and fruits in playful arrangements.
Marti Boone did a good portion of the decorating on the 1924 Model TT that carried Mayor Terry Tornek and his family. She said her brother, a lieutenant colonel, knew a vet who got a house through GM Gary Sinise.
All decked out for the Rose Parade with flowers and flags. A jitney was a privately owned conveyance, so called because the fare was a jitney, slang for a nickel.
Lemons hang from a basket on the 1928 Model TT jitney.
Limes strung on wire bring a note of fancy to the 1924 Model TT.