The Chinese American Heritage Foundation returns to the Rose Parade with a tribute to WWII Congressional Gold Medal honorees.
by Laura Berthold Monteros
As promised, here is the most complete public listing of the floats that will appear in the 131st Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2020. The chart below lists the sponsor, title, builder, and designer for each of the 42 floats. The awards presented in 2019 are also noted.
New sponsors this year are General Society of Mayflower Descendants, celebrating 400 years since Plymouth Rock; Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, for its centennial; Pasadena Celebrates 2020, the centennial of the 19th Amendment; The Cowboy Channel, to promote its upcoming rodeo in Madison Square Garden; The SCAN Foundation; and Wescom Credit Union. Long-time sponsors who were in the 2019 parade are all returning, but still absent are Lucy Pet, Miracle-Gro, Singpoli, and the City of Los Angeles. Also missing are 24 Hour Fitness and the American Armenian Rose Float Association.
There are 39 sponsored entries, six of them self-built, and three Tournament of Roses entries, including the Royal Court float and two floats for the schools playing in the 106th Rose Bowl Game. Phoenix decorating company tops the numbers with 18 floats, followed by Fiesta with 11 and AES with five, seven if they build the team floats, which they have done in the past.
The most prolific designer is Michelle Lofthouse of Phoenix Decorating, with 18 entries. Sometimes, designers cross boundaries and create concepts for more than one commercial builder, but this year, they break down by company: AES, John Ramirez (4); Fiesta, Michael Abboud (4), Stanley Meyer (3), Art Aguirre (2), Charles Meier (2); Phoenix, Michelle Lofthouse (17), Rachel Lofthouse (3).
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131st Tournament of Roses Parade Floats
| Sponsor | Title | Builder | Designer | 2019 Award |
| AIDS Healthcare Foundation | “Hope for the Homeless” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Art Aguirre | |
| Amazon Studios | “Troop Zero” | AES | John Ramirez | |
| American Honda Motor Company | “Our Hope for the Future” | AES | John Ramirez | |
| Blue Diamond Almonds | “The Best Almonds Make the Best Almondmilk” | AES | John Ramirez | |
| Burbank Tournament of Roses Association | “Rise Up” | Self-Built | Lisa Long | Animation |
| Cal Poly Universities | “Aquatic Aspirations” | Self-Built | Student designed | Extraordinaire |
| China Airlines | “Dreams of Flying, Wings of Hope” | AES | John Ramirez | International |
| Chinese American Heritage Foundation (CAHF) | “American Heroes” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Mike Abboud | |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | “Cultivate the Future of Farming” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Mike Abboud | |
| City of Alhambra, CA | “Hope Keeps Us Going” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | Princess |
| City of Hope | “City of Hope” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | President |
| City of Torrance | “Our Garden of Hope and Dreams” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Art Aguirre | Tournament Volunteer |
| Dole Packaged Foods | “Sunshine for All” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Mike Abboud | Wrigley Legacy |
| Donate Life | “Light in the Darkness” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Charles Meier | Judges |
| Downey Rose Float Association | “On the Wings of Hope” | Self-Built | Thom Neighbors, Carrie Redfox | |
| Farmers Insurance | “Conveyor of Hope” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Rachel Lofthouse | Queen |
| General Society of Mayflower Descendants | “The Voyage of Hope – 1620” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Mike Abboud | |
| Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens | “Cultivating Curiosity” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Kaiser Permanente | “Courage to Reimagine” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Stanley Meyer | |
| Kiwanis International | “Soaring with Hope” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association | “Dodo Bird Flight School” | Self-Built | Ted Baumgart, Grant Delgatty | Founder |
| Lions Clubs International | “Hope for 2020” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Lutheran Laymen’s League | “Anchored in Jesus” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day | “Plant a Garden…Believe in Tomorrow” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | Americana |
| Northwestern Mutual | “Spend Your Life Living” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Stanley Meyer | Bob Hope Humor |
| Odd Fellows Rebekahs Rose Float | “First Responders Bring Hope” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Pasadena Celebrates 2020 | “Years of Hope, Years of Courage” | AES | AES | |
| Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee | “Hope Connects the World” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | “Hope Knows No Limits” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Rachel Lofthouse | Theme |
| Sierra Madre Rose Float Association | “Ka lā hiki ola” | Self-Built | Jason Redfox | Director |
| Sikh American Float Foundation | “Planting Seeds of Hope” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | Isabella Coleman |
| South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association | “Victory at Last” | Self-Built | Michael Mera | Mayor |
| The Cowboy Channel | “Walk Ride Rodeo” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Rachel Lofthouse | |
| The SCAN Foundation | “Hope’s Heroes” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| The UPS Store, Inc. | “Stories Change Our World” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Charles Meier | Sweepstakes |
| Tournament of Roses | 2020 Royal Court | Phoenix Decorating Company | Preston Bailey | |
| Tournament of Roses | Rose Bowl Game Team: University of Oregon | N/A | N/A | |
| Tournament of Roses | Rose Bowl Game Team: University of Wisconsin | N/A | N/A | |
| Trader Joe’s | “It Takes a Flight of Fancy” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | Crown City Innovator |
| Underground Service Alert of Southern California (DIGALERT) | “The Power of Safety FIRST” | Fiesta Parade Floats | Stanley Meyer | Past President |
| Wescom Credit Union | “Better Together: Hope Creates Community” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | |
| Western Asset Management Company | “Growing a Better Tomorrow” | Phoenix Decorating Company | Michelle Lofthouse | Fantasy |
Is this Hondas first year with Aes???
Yes, it is. I was a bit surprised by the change.