On Friday afternoon I headed back out to Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale to check out the progress on the floats they are preparing for the 128th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade which will be held Monday, January 2, 2017, in Pasadena, California.
The last time I visited was Tuesday, the day after Christmas. That was the first day that decorating could begin, so all they were adding then was the “dry goods” such as seeds, husks and cut up leaves and flowers. As they are all glued into place, the warehouse was pretty thick with the aroma of paint and glue. Friday was completely different. Continue reading
On Tuesday afternoon I headed back out to Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale to photograph the beginning of the decorating portion of the floats being built there for the 128th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
Unlike my visit of two weeks ago when the warehouse sounded, smelled and looked a lot like any other workshop, yesterday was the first day that volunteers were allowed in to begin the actual decorating of the floats.
When decorating the floats, they begin by adding the \”dry goods\” such as various seeds, husks and cut up leaves and flowers which are meticulously glued into place. I would not be surprised to hear that a significant number of volunteers finished their day with a slight buzz as the aroma of glue and paint definitely permeated the air. The flowers will probably begin being added on Thursday or Friday as the judging will be held on Sunday; the parade itself will not be held until Monday, January 2, 2017. Continue reading
These photos were taken Monday night at Fiesta Parade Floats when the City of Torrance came out to Irwindale to check out the progress on the float they are entering for the 127th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade which will be held Friday morning in Pasadena.
If you noticed my photos from last Wednesday you cannot help but notice that there has been significant progress made on the actual decorating of the floats. Last week when we were there it was a construction scene with the sound of metal being ground and the warehouse smelled of paint. Last night the construction crews were gone and the troops of people, young and old, were carefully applying flowers and seeds to every visible portion of the floats, and some portions that are not exactly visible to the normal viewer but might be noticed by a judge. Instead of paint, the aroma was predominantly flowers with a hint of glue.
As I was leaving Fiesta Floats last night I noticed another City of Torrance bus was just arriving and it was not until then that I realized that the Torrance buses had been staggered, so I apologize that I left before all of you arrived. In the past, when the city came to visit the floats they were pretty much funneled in and out, whereas last night visitors were allowed to stick around a little more and even check out some of the other floats. From what I have heard, this new policy was very much appreciated by the Torrance visitors. Continue reading
These photos are of the floats of the 124th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade which was held Tuesday, January 1, 2013 in Pasadena, CA. As I took far too many photos to be viewed easily in one gallery, I broke the photos up into two groups; the floats of the parade and one of the people of the Rose Parade which includes the marching bands and equestrian units. This gallery includes all the floats as well as the cars transporting the Grand Marshal, President of the Tournament of Roses, Hall of Fame Inductees and others of that type. Due to the number of photos, you might find it easier to use the slideshow feature.
There were about 40 floats entered, several of which had been covered in my previous articles. I would like to once again thank the following for helping me gain access to watch the floats being built over the last month: Fiesta Parade Floats, Pollack PR Marketing Group and California Cut Flower Commission. The watermarks on the photos have been purchased by Got Web Host, who has been hosting web sites for personal and commercial use since 2002. The other half of the photos were watermarked as a donation to the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation, the only charity for victims of Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease (RAD), also known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). If you know someone that suffers from RA, please tell them about the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation; they will appreciate it. Continue reading
These photos were taken at the 124th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade, held January 1, 2013. Once again, I have taken too many photos to put in one gallery, so I have broken them up into two groups. This gallery consists of basically anything that was not a float; marching bands, equestrian units and basic people watching. I was set up at Colorado Boulevard and Allen Avenue, primarily on the southeast corner. As this is a very large gallery, you might find it easier to view using the slideshow feature; you can use the full screen option for the best viewing.
It was a cold morning, but that did not seem to dampen anyone\’s spirits. By the time the parade got down to us, I think most people had forgotten about the chill in the air. A portion of the watermarks on the photos have been purchased by Got Web Host, who has been hosting web sites for personal and commercial use since 2002. The other half of the photos were watermarked as a donation to the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation, the only charity for victims of Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease (RAD), also known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). If you know someone that suffers from RA, please tell them about the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation and perhaps consider making a small donation to the cause. Continue reading
These photos were taken Saturday at Lot I of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. Every once in a while, when I photograph a place or event, I will submit an accompanying article to CNN\’s iReport. I have a pretty good idea ahead of time whether or not they will find it suitable for use on CNN and I have a pretty good track record of getting vetted. I know that they have liked my photos from Candy Cane Lane and my coverage of the 123rd Annual Tournament of Roses Parade so it made sense for me to submit a pictorial using photos from my visits to Fiesta Parade Floats showing the preparation of some of the floats for this year\’s Rose Parade. While I was not surprised to be vetted, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my article was named an Editor\’s Pick which resulted in the article being placed on the front page of CNN.com. As one might guess, this resulted in a lot of exposure for both the article and me. Of the thousands that read the report, one was a representative of the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC).
In my CNN report I had mentioned that my access to Fiesta Parade Floats had been cut off for the float decorating and that I was seeking a float sponsor that could provide me with a media pass. The CCFC contacted CNN, got my contact information and contacted me with an offer to come photograph the decorating of the float being entered by Cal Poly Universities at the Rose Bowl Stadium. They also provided me with some background information that they felt I would find interesting enough to write about; they were right. Continue reading
Saturday, I headed out to Irwindale, CA to visit Fiesta Floats so I could take some photos of the building of the City of Torrance entry to the 2013 Rose Parade. As it turned out, Kaiser Permanente was having a Family Day for friends and family of Kaiser Permanente employees so there was a lot more going on than I expected. The Kaiser Permanente float was being showcased and they had magicians, crafts and games for the kids. They even let people help prepare things for the actual decorating of the float.
The City of Torrance float is coming along nicely, and decorating will be getting started within the next week or so (I would guess). The city no longer sponsors the Rose Parade entry, so it is funded by donations to the Torrance Rose Float Association (TRFA). The Torrance Rose Float Association is a non-profit so they rely entirely on donations. For more details on how you can help, please visit their website. Continue reading