ROSE PARADE DECORATORS PUTTING PETAL TO THE METAL : FLOATS GETTING THE FLORAL FINISH RAIN MIGHT FALL BUT SHOW WILL GO ON.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer Will everything come up roses in Pasadena this 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. ? With weather forecasters predicting a 50 percent chance of rain, things could get a little soggy, but 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 officials remain optimistic. Workers throughout Pasadena prepared Sunday for the city's grand event, the 108th annual parade featuring 57 floats, 23 bands and 30 equestrian units. ``The Rose Parade goes on rain or shine,'' said Steve Leland, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association's director of sponsor relations, who explained that even during World War II the parade was scaled down, but never canceled. It has rained only nine times in the history of the Rose Parade - the last time in 1955. ``In past years we've had it rain all night and then the sun will come out the next morning, but we don't want to cut it that close,'' said Bill Walleck, director of special events for the Phoenix Decorating Co., which is preparing 26 floats in its two warehouses. Walleck said the rain wouldn't harm floats, which will be covered with plastic sheets before the parade. If it rains ``the flowers will drink a lot of water,'' he said. While parade organizers keep tabs on the weather forecasts, spectators have the added worry of getting to the parade, finding parking and catching a good view of the festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. . The parade is scheduled to last two hours starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday. It will wind its way down a 5 -1/2-mile stretch starting at the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards and then head east on Colorado Boulevard until it intersects with Sierra Madre Boulevard Sierra Madre Boulevard is a 7-mile long road connecting four suburbs of Pasadena, California; Hastings Ranch, East Pasadena, and San Marino. For the most part, is a winding road divided by a grassy median, built around an interurban line of the Pacific Electric. . There it will turn left and head north up Sierra Madre Sierra Madre, city, United States Sierra Madre (sēĕr`ə mä`drā), residential city (1990 pop. 10,762), Los Angeles co., S Calif., at the foot of Mt. Wilson; inc. 1907. There is some light manufacturing. where the post-parade viewing will take place. The parade's grand marshals will be Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shannon Miller Shannon Lee Miller (b. March 10, 1977 in Rolla, Missouri) is an artistic gymnast from Edmond, Oklahoma. She has earned 7 Olympic Medals and 9 World Championship Medals since her Elite International debut in 1990. She is the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in U.S. history. and Olympic track star Carl Lewis. Rose queen Jennifer Halferty from Pasadena's Polytechnic school Polytechnic School, often referred to as simply Poly, is a college preparatory private school in Pasadena, California. The school was founded in 1907 as the first private non-profit elementary school in California, descended from the Throop Polytechnic Institute will preside over her royal court of six princesses. Pasadena police recommend that those arriving by freeway plan alternate routes because certain freeway exits will be closed for the parade. Closed off-ramps will be the Orange Grove Boulevard exit off the Pasadena Freeway, the Sierra Madre exit off the Foothill Freeway and the 710 south exit off the Pasadena/Foothill freeway interchange. All exits will be congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. , but exits near the beginning of the parade on Orange Grove Boulevard tend to be more crowded, said Lt. Tom Oldfield, who recommended spectators arrive as early as 6 or 6:30 a.m. to avoid the crunch. Parade officials recommend that those attending the parade and the 83rd Rose Bowl game should park at the Rose Bowl Stadium. The Rose Bowl kicks off at 2 p.m. and will feature a showdown between Ohio State University Ohio State University, main campus at Columbus; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1870, opened 1873 as Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, renamed 1878. There are also campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. and Arizona State University Arizona State University, at Tempe; coeducational; opened 1886 as a normal school, became 1925 Tempe State Teachers College, renamed 1945 Arizona State College at Tempe. Its present name was adopted in 1958. . Parking will be available at the stadium Wednesday starting at 6 a.m. at a cost of $10. From the stadium, spectators can walk or take a shuttle to parade seating at the west end of the route, about 1 -1/2 miles away uphill. Parade officials recommended that if you can't park in the stadium, park north of Colorado Boulevard to avoid the heavy flow of post-parade traffic. If you plan to park on the streets, the Pasadena Police Department The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a few blocks from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado. said parking restrictions in one- and two-hour zones as well as green curbs will not be enforced from noon Tuesday until after the parade. Drivers do not need to deposit coins in the parking meters. All ``no parking'' and red curb zones remain off-limits and will be closely monitored by police, Oldfield said. ``We have lots of tow trucks and we have to tow everything that is in the wrong spot,'' he said. Paid parking will be available on a first-come, first-served “FCFS” redirects here. For the figure skating competition, see Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. This article is about a general service policy. For the technical concept, see FIFO. basis throughout Pasadena including: Union Street and El Molino Avenue; Union Street and Euclid Avenue For the street in Ontario, California, see . Euclid Avenue is a name applied to streets in many American cities; however, Cleveland, Ohio’s Euclid Avenue received nationwide attention from the 1860s to the 1920s for its beauty and wealth. ; Union Street and Raymond Avenue; Cordova Cordova, Spain: see Córdoba. Street and Shoppers Lane; 40 N. Mentor Ave.; 462 E. Green St.; and 465 E. Union St. Easy Parking Service has seven locations to accommodate cars and RVs: Call 818-286-7576. Ace Parking has 3,600 spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 818-792-1218. Sharp Seating Co. at 818-795-4171 also has spaces for RVs and cars. Overnight parking spaces will be available for cars and RVs at the Brookside Pavilion, located next to the Rose Bowl. The cost is $45 per night for RVs and $10 per car on a first-come, first-served basis. Handicap spaces are also available for $10. Call (818) 577-3100. Once you make it to the parade route, make sure you have the essentials to keep warm. Folding chairs, sleeping bags and blankets are allowed, but police will confiscate To expropriate private property for public use without compensating the owner under the authority of the Police Power of the government. To seize property. When property is confiscated it is transferred from private to public use, usually for reasons such as tents, ladders and couches, said Oldfield, adding that alcohol is not permitted on the parade route either. Grandstand seating sold out last week, but spectators can still line up curbside to watch the festivities. Last year an estimated 1 million spectators attended the event, and this year the numbers are expected to be similar, said association spokeswoman Nancy Long. Some spectators arrive 24 hours in advance, so prime curbside seating will be limited, but to watch the parade in a less crowded area, Oldfield recommended heading to the eastern end of the parade route. ``Usually at the east end of the parade, east of Lake or Hill (avenues), the crowds are still thick, but less thick,'' he said. Pasadena's busy pace is expected to continue up until parade time, but the overall mood so far has been energetic, charged and very anticipative, Leland said. ``Just in general there's an air of preparation, but this isn't new to Pasadena because we do it once a year,'' Leland said. ``And the city does it usually with a fair amount of humor and good grace.'' CAPTION(S): 5 Photos Photo: (1-2) Janet Thornton Professor Janet M. Thornton CBE, FRS, is Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute on the Genome Campus at Hinxton, near Cambridge, U.K. She is one of the world’s leading researchers in structural bioinformatics, using computational methods to understand protein of Canoga Park, left, applies poppy seeds to finish decorating a float Sunday for the Tournament of Roses parade Wednesday morning in Pasadena. All the floats in the parade, including those featuring human forms, like the one below, must be decoratedwith flowers, seeds, leaves or other plant material. (3) The nation of Thailand's Rose Parade float, ``Splendor on the River of Kings,'' gets some small flowers added by Vibul Wonprasat of Los Angeles. (4-5) Workers put the finishing touches on a float from Honda, above, which was too big to fit in the warehouse where most of the floats reside. Meanwhile, John Meyers carefully places flowers on a flag, right, that will fly above the city of Inglewood's float. David R. Crane/Daily News |
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