January 2017 – The Rose Examiner

Rose Parade trophies get an update for 2018

On: January 31, 2017January 3, 2018 By: LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

It’s been a long time since list of Rose Parade float trophies was revamped, but we learned from our friends at La Cañada Flintridge Rose Float Association that the Tournament of Roses has announced an updated list. LCFTRA posted the information on its Facebook page today. The organization promises more enlightenment on the float judging process in the days to come.

The new Rose Parade float awards: Here are our observations

Continue reading “Rose Parade trophies get an update for 2018” →

Lucy Pet presents surfing dogs and football cats at the Rose Parade Showcase of Floats: Video, photos

On: January 24, 2017January 31, 2017 By: LBM

Joey Herrick, founder of Lucy Pet Foundation and Lucy Pet Products, with the dog that started it all, Lucy herself. Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, Jan. 3, 2017. — Joey Herrick with the dog that started it all, Lucy herself.

by Laura Berthold Monteros

Second in a series of two

Joey Herrick made a splash at the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade with a passel of pooches surfing on a 65-foot long wave in a gigantic tank of water. In addition to winning the Extraordinaire Trophy for “Most Spectacular Float,” Lucy Pet’s “Gnarly Crankin’ K-9 Wave Maker” broke two Guinness World Records. Read about that here. As “Who Let the Dogs Out” boomed over the Showcase of Floats, we got an opportunity to talk to Herrick and Doc Karen Halligan and to climb the 24-foot tall float to video the dogs.

After Herrick retired from Natural Balance pet foods, he embarked on a mission to drastically reduce the number of stray dogs and cats and the four million that shelters put down annually. He founded Lucy Pet Foundation, named after a stray Chihuahua he rescued, and fitted out a motor home as a self-contained mobile clinic that can spay and neuter more than 120 pets each week. His goal is to have mobile clinic in every major city in the country. It’s estimated that just one clinic can prevent 120,000 animals being added to the homeless pet population.

“The float is the greatest publicity for Lucy Pet,” he told The Rose Examiner. Noting the huge Continue reading “Lucy Pet presents surfing dogs and football cats at the Rose Parade Showcase of Floats: Video, photos” →

Tournament of Roses Pres. Lance Tibbet is aiming on ‘Making a Difference’ in 2018

On: January 19, 2017January 24, 2017 By: LBM

2018 Tournament of Roses President Lance Tibbet in the living room of Tournament House.

by Laura Berthold Monteros

“This theme is something near and dear to my heart,” incoming Tournament of Roses President Lance M. Tibbet told The Rose Examiner on Wednesday. We met at Tournament House for a conversation about the vision he has for his 2017-2018 tenure as the leader of the 129^th New Year’s celebration. The theme, “Making a Difference,” reflects Tibbet’s optimism and commitment to kindness and selfless service, about doing something without reservation simply because it is the right thing to do.

Selecting a theme is usually a family process, and it expresses something about the president’s world view. “Making a Difference” evolved out of a Tibbet family tradition, watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” together every Christmas season. The movie reveals how the thoughtfulness and kindness of one person can change his community for the better. Tibbet said the title wasn’t going to work for the Rose Parade theme though, because “everyone doesn’t have a wonderful life.” But “Each one of us, without cost, can make a difference. We all have that ability.”

That’s what the Tournament of Roses is about, 935 people Continue reading “Tournament of Roses Pres. Lance Tibbet is aiming on ‘Making a Difference’ in 2018” →

Lucy Pet’s ‘Gnarly Crankin’ K-9 Wave Maker’ wins Extraordinaire at 2017 Rose Parade: Photos

On: January 18, 2017January 24, 2017 By: LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

First in a series of two

Read Part One

Weighing in at a tad over 74 tons and stretching a full 126 feet, Lucy Pet’s “Gnarly Crankin’ K-9 Wave Maker” broke two Guinness World Records for the longest and heaviest Rose Parade float on Jan. 2, 2016. The previous record was made in 2012 by Natural Balance Pet Foods “Surf’s Up!” then owned by Joey Herrick, founder of Lucy Pet Foundation. Eight dogs took turns surfing in a 65-foot-long tank containing 6,600 gallons of water. They got rides from the “beach” back to the deck in floral woody wagons while “Who Let the Dogs Out” boomed from speakers.

The gigantic creation, designed by Frank Garcia and built by Fiesta Parade floats. Fiesta also built a smaller version of Lucy Pet’s Gnarly Crankin’ K-9 Wave Maker to travel around the country auditioning dogs for the Rose Parade. The first surfing dog float, at 119 feet, had difficulty making Continue reading “Lucy Pet’s ‘Gnarly Crankin’ K-9 Wave Maker’ wins Extraordinaire at 2017 Rose Parade: Photos” →

Los Angeles and Grand Marshals make a rosy bid for the 2024 Olympics at the Rose Parade (photos)

On: January 10, 2017January 10, 2017 By: LBM

The LA 2024 Olympics logo bursts from the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum.

by Laura Berthold Monteros

In choosing the three co-Grand Marshals for the 128^th Tournament of Roses Parade, Pres. Brad Ratliff had a brilliant idea, but it came rather later in the game that usual. In conjunction—or perhaps collusion—with the City of Los Angeles’ float entry, “Follow the Sun,” he chose three Olympians who are also coincidently part of the LA 2024 Olympic bid effort. The float was announced earlier in the year, but the Grand Marshals weren’t announced until November, 2016. They only had a few weeks’ notice before being publicly presented.

Be sure to check out the photo gallery at the end for more about the float and the Grand Marshals.

The Olympians, Janet Evans, Greg Louganis, and Allyson Felix, followed the 119^th consecutive Los Angeles float in the Rose Parade on Jan. 2, 2017. The float was presented by Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board and LA 2024, and featured the beloved symbol of the Los Angeles Olympics, whether 1932, 1984, or 2024—the iconic peristyle and flaming torch of the Memorial Coliseum. The city is the US Candidate City for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Evans serves as the Vice Chairperson and Chair of the LA 2024 Bid Committee’s Athletes’ Commission and Director of Athlete Continue reading “Los Angeles and Grand Marshals make a rosy bid for the 2024 Olympics at the Rose Parade (photos)” →

Queen Victoria and her Royal Court in the 2017 Rose Parade: Photos

On: January 7, 2017January 19, 2017 By: LBM

Rose Queen Victoria Castellanos presides over her Royal Court, clockwise from Victoria’s left, Princesses Autumn Lundy, Audrey Cameron, Emi Powers, Shannon Larsuel, Natalie Petrosian, Maya Kawaguchi Khan at the 128^th Rose Parade on Jan. 2, 2017. c2017 RLM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

Seven 17-year-old girls were chosen for the Tournament of Roses Royal Court on Oct. 4, 2016. Three months later, they glided along the Rose Parade route on seven black chairs that are better than thrones. They represented the Tournament, the City of Pasadena, and in a sense all the girls who dream of riding on the Queen and Court float one day. While the Rose Parade is the crowning event for the young women, that’s not all there is to being a princess.

The young women made some 100 appearances in that brief quarter of a year, and they gave up some of the things that make the senior year of high school so memorable. They learned to get along with each other—indeed, part of the selection process is choosing seven girls whose individual personalities will mesh—and they learned how to walk and speak and eat with the correct utensils. One young woman was Continue reading “Queen Victoria and her Royal Court in the 2017 Rose Parade: Photos” →

Photo gallery: Penn State, USC in the 2017 Rose Parade

On: January 6, 2017January 19, 2017 By: LBM

USC's mascot, Traveler, lopes along the 2017 Rose Parade route while Tommy Trojan gives the USC salute. — Traveler at Rose Parade

by Laura Berthold Monteros

The University of Southern California Trojans may have won the 103^rd Rose Bowl Game 52-49 on Jan. 2, but the Penn State Nittany Lions made them work for it. In honor of two great teams, here are photos of the bands and cheerleaders for both in the 128^th Tournament of Roses Parade.

Sitting at TV Corner—the place where the Rose Parade route takes a 109 degree turn from going north on Orange Grove to east on Colorado—we got a great look at both bands. The Penn State fans behind us cheered loudly for the band, chanting “We are Penn State.” The band certainly deserved the cheers for the on-point square turn they made, but somehow the chant lacks the fearsome quality of, say, “Fight on!” or “U(dadada) C(dadada) L(dadada) A.” But that’s betraying our provincialism. Still, it did seem the Penn State Continue reading “Photo gallery: Penn State, USC in the 2017 Rose Parade” →

Illustrating kindness: Design a float for the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade

On: January 5, 2017January 19, 2017 By: LBM

"The Cat's Away," designed by Richard Burrow for Sierra Madre Rose Float Assn. c2017 LBM — “The Cat’s Away,” designed by Richard Burrow for Sierra Madre Rose Float Assn. c2017 LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

The theme of the 129^th Tournament of Roses will not be announced until the installation of officers on Jan. 20, 2017 but the hints that 2018 Pres. Lance Tibbet has given indicate a theme that centers around kindness and the impact small acts can have. Most people have both experienced kindness and passed it on to others. Readers who have a story to share and can picture it as a design for a Rose Parade float can enter competitions run by the six self-built float associations. The Rose Parade takes place on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.

Here are the hints that Pres. Tibbet shared with the builders: Continue reading “Illustrating kindness: Design a float for the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade” →

USC Trojans prevail over Penn State Nittany Lions in Rose Bowl

On: January 2, 2017January 6, 2017 By: LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

In a game that went back and forth for four quarters, The University of Southern California handed a win to its fans in a 52-49 victory in the 103^rd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on Jan. 2, 2017. Though Penn State had two big quarters, racking up 28 in the second and 21 in the third, USC was steady throughout with 13, 14, 8, and 17 over the four quarters. We are more Rose Parade than Rose Bowl Game fans over here at The Rose Examiner, so we’ll be posting lots of photos of the Nittany Lions and the Trojans in the next couple days.

And here are the photos of the Rose Parade

Rose Parade 2017 recap and trophy winners

On: January 2, 2017January 19, 2017 By: LBM

by Laura Berthold Monteros

Today’s Rose Parade was another wonder of the world. It went off without a visible hitch—no breakdowns, no gaps between entries, a good pace, more than a thousand Tournament of Roses volunteers directing the action, and law enforcement that was both present and respectful. There were floats that were spectacular, whimsical, imaginative, touching. The bands were spot on (except for a few ragged corners at Orange Grove and Colorado), the equestrians colorful and the horses well-behaved, and the vehicles for the dignitaries ranged from boron wagons pulled by 20 mules to a really spiffy 1937 Bentley.

It was cold, cold all day, which is unusual for Pasadena. The heavy overcast brought no moisture and kept the early temperature to 51 degrees, 20 degrees warmer than last year, but the sun never broke through. By parade’s end, Continue reading “Rose Parade 2017 recap and trophy winners” →