A LITTLE RAIN WON'T RUIN ROSE EVENTS.Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer Thousands of tourists and football fans in town for the Tournament of Roses parade The Tournament of Roses Parade was established, and first held, on January 1,1890, in Pasadena, California, eight miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Rooted in tradition, this parade is broadcast on multiple television networks, watched by upwards of one and the Rose Bowl dodged raindrops Tuesday while crossing their fingers that the parade's half-century dry streak holds another year. With intermittent rain forecast through Sunday, football practices and band rehearsals for the New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. face-off between the Michigan Wolverines The University of Michigan features 24 varsity sports teams called the Wolverines, which compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, and Texas Longhorns may have to move indoors. Downpours could also dampen enthusiasm for pep rallies and tailgating Tailgating The action of a broker or advisor purchasing or selling a security for his or her client(s) and then immediately making the same transaction in his or her own account. parties and discourage fans from visiting local beaches - a traditional favorite among out-of-state visitors. Still, alumni from both the University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. and the University of Texas say they're thrilled - rain or shine - to be in Pasadena for Saturday's first-ever meeting between two of the largest universities in the country. And Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, is definitely warmer than Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, city (1990 pop. 109,592), seat of Washtenaw co., S Mich., on the Huron River; inc. 1851. It is a research and educational center, with a large number of government and industrial research and development firms, many in high-technology fields such as . ``It is great to be here. ... It's not 17 and snowing,'' said Steve Grafton, executive director of the Alumni Association An alumni association is an association of graduates (alumni) or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni of the University of Michigan, which is preparing for more than 1,400 Wolverine wolverine or glutton, largest member of the weasel family, Gulo gulo, found in the northern parts of North America and Eurasia, usually in high mountains near the timberline or in tundra. fans to arrive today. ``Back at home, the high is lower than the low here. This is a nice respite.'' Parade organizers said the $225 million that Southern California businesses stand to gain from the week's events is not in danger. If anything, the showers might encourage people to spend more money. ``I think it might be (good) for some restaurants and shopping. People are going to be forced to retreat inside,'' said Theresa Santoro, spokeswoman for the Pasadena Convention and Visitors Bureau. Five decades of close calls with precipitation have forced Tournament of Roses officials to develop extensive backup plans that allow teams to practice in the Pasadena Convention Center The Pasadena Convention Center is a 2,850-seat multi-purpose arena in Pasadena, Texas, USA. It hosts locals sporting events and concerts and will host the Houston Wild Riders of the National Indoor Football League starting in 2007. or exhibition hall, if needed. ``Inevitably, at least one or two days this week have rain, so we have contingency plans,'' she said. ``But we've always lucked out. Some years, it rains right up until midnight New Year's Eve.'' Both football teams are already in town, and the marching bands are expected to arrive today. So far, the rain hasn't slowed anyone down. ``We are enjoying sunshine in Carson,'' said Bill Little, spokesman for the University of Texas team, which practiced Tuesday on the all-weather surface at the Home Depot Center. ``So far, it's blue skies and sunshine. We're in great shape.'' While the Rose Parade has been free of rain for 50 consecutive years, showers have occasionally fallen on the Rose Bowl game that follows. No matter the weather, Pasadena is prepared, said Bill Flinn, chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. for the Tournament of Roses. ``The parade is an event that goes on, rain or shine, same as the game,'' he said. ``The tournament can control a lot of things - but the weather is someone else's department.'' Because of Southern California's unpredictable winters, parade organizers have dealt with heat, dehydration and exhaustion in past years. A sprinkle could even be beneficial, he said. ``The flowers will keep better. If there's a nice mist on the parade, the flowers would look great. If there's too much heat, the flowers wilt.'' For fans of both schools, the long weekend is packed with parties, pep rallies, breakfast meetings and happy hours. Clear skies would be helpful, organizers said. ``We don't expect it to rain. We have not had any rain on our party for nine years in a row,'' said Stephen Wonn, president of SportsEventPlanner.com, which is hosting a New Year's Eve party for more than 5,000 Texas fans at Universal Studios. But a little rain won't ruin the party, parade or game, he said. ``These people are coming from cold weather and they're out here to celebrate - so they'll celebrate, whether it's sunny, windy, rainy or whatever,'' he said. Manhattan Beach resident Uma Subramanian, who heads the Los Angeles chapter of the University of Michigan alumni There are more than 425,000 living alumni of the University of Michigan. Famous alumni include the first American to perform a space walk, the "father" of the iPod, the founders of Sun Microsystems and Google, the father of information theory, and the voice of Darth Vader. association, said she's upset that she won't be able to show off sunny Southern California to her friends from Michigan. ``It's going to kind of put a damper on it,'' the 2001 graduate said. ``But I've kind of kept an eye on it, and it seems like it's going to clear up.'' Jennifer Radcliffe, (818) 713-3722 jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion