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nIngrew up in Pasadena, California, home of the Tournament of RosesnParade and the Rose Bowl. Every year on January 1st, fromn1890 on, bands have marched and played, equestrian groups havenhigh-stepped, and flower-covered floats have glided down ColoradonBoulevard, traveling about five-and-a-half miles (9 km).
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Whoops!nDid I say every January 1? You may have noticed that today is notnJanuary 1. Whenever New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, the parade isnheld on the following Monday.
Whoops!nDid I say every January 1? You may have noticed that today is notnJanuary 1. Whenever New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, the parade isnheld on the following Monday.n
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Today’snparade will feature 43 floats, 21 bands, and 18 equestrian units withnapproximately 400 horses. Hundreds of thousands of people will watchnalong the parade route, and millions more will watch the parade on TVnin more than 200 nations and territories around the world.
Today’snparade will feature 43 floats, 21 bands, and 18 equestrian units withnapproximately 400 horses. Hundreds of thousands of people will watchnalong the parade route, and millions more will watch the parade on TVnin more than 200 nations and territories around the world.n
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Checkn out this video of some of the greats of Rose Parade floats.n
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nWatchn some videos on making a float, starting with this one. You can findn more in this series, but here’s one that gave some nice close-ups ofn the flowers being used.
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nLastn but not least, this and this other time-lapse videos show buildingn floats in just under a minute!
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| Floats are covered by many sorts of natural plant materials — not just flowers, but also bark, seeds, and even whole fruit such as these grapefruits. |
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nAlsonon this date:
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nScience-fiction author Isaac Asimov’s birthday
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nBerchtold’s Day in Switzerland
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