by Dot Cannon

As every musician knows, live performances can require adaptation.  No matter how hard you work, the world can change when showtime arrives.

During Pasadena’s 130th Rose Parade®, themed “The Melody of Life”, the final participants showed extra pluck and talent, as they dealt with Tuesday morning’s unforeseen circumstances.

At about 9:30, the parade was nearing its end at Colorado and Orange Grove Boulevards.

From where we sat, it had been absolutely spectacular.

The “wow” factor

Our favorite moments had included seeing the “Donate Life” float.   (We’d had the opportunity, during Deco Week, to talk with Tom Mone, Donate Life Rose Parade Float Chairman, about the story of the float and Donate Life’s mission.)

“Rhythm of the Heart” won the 2019 Judges’ Award for “Most Outstanding Design and Dramatic Impact”.  Congratulations to them, and to Fiesta Parade Floats,  on this beautiful and meaningful entry!

Always a surprise in store

In addition, no one who’s seen a previous Rose Parade® could help wondering what the All-Izumo Honor Green Band might do.

The Green Band, from Japan, has a standing invitation to the Rose Parade®.  Annually, musicians are selected for an honor band from various high school.  Each year’s band represents a different region of Japan.

And every year, they put their best showmanship into the way they take the corner of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards.

Past Green Bands have hopped, marched backwards and done unique dance moves.  Most of the time, as they do these, they’re also playing their selections.  

When the Kyoto Tachibana band appeared, as you’ll see in this photo from the 2018 Rose Parade®, they did a dipping dance step, around the corner and on down the parade route.  They played after they hit Colorado Boulevard.

“Our bandleader likes (to) surprise,” one Honor Green Band co-ordinator said in the past.

So now, for 2019, here came the All-Izumo Honor Green Band.  How would they uphold that tradition?

They took the corner at a run–while playing “YMCA” at full tempo!  And they seemed to have a lot of fun–as did the audience.

We saw a lot more that we liked:

• Of course, seeing the Tournament of Roses Honor Band is always a highlight.

• So was watching 101st Rose Queen® Louise Deser Siskel ride down the parade route with her Royal Court.

And so were the:

• Mini Therapy Horses!  These cuties are American Miniature horses, and their organization is a nonprofit which takes them to visit more than 50,000 children and adults per year.  The little horses are trained to play a keyboard and give “high fives”!

 

• Not to mention more incredible floats than any one post could serve, in describing!

But getting to see the only student-built float in the Rose Parade®, the Cal Poly Universities float, was fantastic.  “Far Out Frequencies” won the “Extraordinaire” award for “Most Extraordinary Float”.

The unexpected occurs

The 130th Rose Parade® had been one of our all-time favorites.  But just minutes before the scheduled finale, a small fire broke out aboard the Chinese-American Heritage Foundation’s “Harmony Through Union” float.

It was quickly extinguished, with no reports of injuries.  (As covered in a previous post, all Rose Parade® floats go through test drives and an inspection, prior to the parade.  A fire drill, in which all participants must be off the float in 45 seconds or less, is part of the process.)

Rising to the occasion

And–the show must go on.

Around the stalled float came the Gold Rush Fire Brigade, to applause from the audience.

A tow truck moved into position. 

Meanwhile, the Lincoln Way Community High School Marching Band, from New Lenox, Illinois, veered around the truck and marched down the parade route.  Spectators cheered.

And the band put on a great performance.

The Chinese American Heritage Foundation float

Then, the tow truck pulled “Harmony Through Union” into the parade.

It was breathtaking.

Aboard the 90-foot-long float rode Blythe Abigail Su-Ren Schulte, who was to perform an original song celebrating the contributions of immigrants to the United States.   Other riders included Alexander Ng, great-grandson of original Transcontinental Railroad worker Charlie Kee Ng.

Dual engines represented the joining of two coasts, 150 years earlier.

The animation of a hammer, hitting a final golden spike, was designed to symbolize the moment the Transcontinental Railroad unified the nation.

Outwalkers from Irvine’s Southern Wind Lion Dance accompanied the float.

But then, after making the turn, it stopped on Colorado Boulevard.

A White Suiter would later explain that the chain to the tow truck had broken.  We did not see the massive float move again during our time at this year’s Rose Parade®.

The show goes on

However, the show continued.

Multi-platinum pop artist Anne-Marie, scheduled for the parade finale, performed her number next, from a float representing the Rose Bowl stadium.

Admittedly, the change of program had some audience members leaving right after her performance, thinking the parade had ended.

Those who stayed, had the opportunity to see the South Pasadena Tournament of Roses float, “Three Little Birds”.

South Pasadena Tournament of Roses is the oldest self-built (independent float builder) in the Rose Parade®.  “Three Little Birds”, which won the Mayor’s Trophy for “Most outstanding float built by volunteers from a community or organization”, is their 85th entry.

The float after it was Digalert’s “Backyard Harmony”.  Its whimsical depictions of cats, bulldogs and a very surprised bird reminded viewers to “call 811 before you dig”.

Spectators applauded once more.  The Royal Swedish Cadet Band, from Kariskrona, Sweden, skirted around the floats.

Like the other marching bands before them, they looked and sounded amazing–putting on their best show for Pasadena and New Year’s Day, 2019.

We love the Rose Parade®, and the hardworking people who make it a unique experience.  And while, admittedly, the ending had to be improvised due to the unexpected, it was only one-fourth of the show.  From our vantage point, the first three-quarters of it were excellent.  We can’t wait to share those pictures next.

Happy New Year, Pasadena and Tournament of Roses®!   Life happens, and the ability to adapt is what’s made the Rose Parade® “America’s New Year Celebration®” for 130 years–and counting.