by Laura Berthold Monteros
Cities and service organizations, such as the ones in the gallery below, present the attractions of their communities and accomplishments of their organizations through the visual impact of Rose Parade floats. These entries brought both beauty and fun to the 129th Tournament of Roses. Here’s the basic info on each; riders and flowering are in the captions. Be sure to check out the 2018 Rose Parade page for a listing of all the articles about floats on TheRoseExaminer.com.
- Lions Clubs International, “Preserving Our Environment,” Phoenix Decorating Company, Michelle Lofthouse designer
- South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, “Booster Club,” Self-Built
- City of Alhambra, Calif., “Story Time,” Phoenix Decorating Company, Mike Abboud designer
- Kiwanis International, “Racing to Serve Children,” Phoenix Decorating Company, Michelle Lofthouse
- City of Carson, “Honoring the Past – Envisioning Our Future,” Fiesta Parade Floats, Art Aguirre designer
- Lutheran Laymen’s League, “Bringing Christ to the Nations,” Phoenix Decorating Company, Michelle Lofthouse
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Lion Clubs International “Preserving Our Environment” depicts youth in LEOS planting and sprucing up a historic location. International President Naresh Aggarwal of Punjab, India and his wife Navita rode the float.
Roses, orchids, gerbera, iris, delphiniums, daffodils, Bells of Ireland, hyacinth, tulips, stock, and snapdragons—some specially grown for Phoenix Decorating Co.—made up the 10,360 flowers. Two live Noble firs stood on either side. The mill wheel rotated with real water.
South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association is the oldest self-built float in the Rose Parade, going back 108 years. “Booster Club” honored folks who support student athletes. Note the license plate! The tiger is the mascot of SPHS and the ostrich harks back to the Cawston Ostrich Farm.
A roadster, covered with 40,000 red Paris roses pulled a trailer filled tailgate necessities. Flowers included 50,000 roses, 5,000 carnations, and 10,000 mums. The wheels on the car turned and smoke wafted from the grill.
The City of Alhambra celebrated its 90th Rose Parade float with “Story Time,” a salute to the Civic Center Library’s 110th birthday.
The 55,700 flowers on the Alhambra float included roses, mums, carnations, orchids, gerbera, iris, Bells of Ireland, snapdragons, freesia, calla lilies, lavender, amaranthus, hydrangea, and larkspur. The worms head turned from side to side and the ladybugs’ wings flapped.
The Kiwanis International float had a speedy tiger “Racing to Serve Children,” which illustrated the urgency Kiwanians have in making sure children have what they need to thrive and reach their full potential.
Real bikes were covered with dry materials to meet Tournament of Roses requirements, including black onion powder, ground rice, lentils, and white pepper, statice, and silverleaf.
The 89,874 flowers on the Kiwanis float included roses, carnations, mums, gladiola, and cymbidium. Kiwanians packed the stands to cheer on their champion racer.
“Honoring the Past—Envisioning Our Future” kicked off the 50th anniversary celebration of the City of Carson. The beads surrounding the treasure chest showed off city landmarks and organizations, Stub Hub Center, the world’s largest soccer-specific stadium in the US.
Floral sprays created the new Founder Fountain, located at city hall. Flowers included orchids, iris, and more than 20,000 coral Movie Star roses. Fireworks, both real and floral, burst out of the float. Carson is also home to the newest Goodyear blimp, “Wingfoot Two.”
Lutheran Hour Ministries “Bringing Christ to the Nations” chose a boat, an ancient symbol of the church, with map on the sail, to bring the Gospel message to the world. The float was decorated with 41,740 flowers, including roses, mums, carnations, calla lilies, and orchids.
Riders on the Lutheran Hour Ministries float were people who, like the Rose Parade theme, are “Making a Difference”—a comfort dog and handler, a Sunday School teacher and child, a leader of a food bank, a medical professional, and a Lutheran pastor.