by Dot Cannon
The mood was one of celebration, Tournament of Roses®-style.
Tuesday evening, October 22nd, at the Pasadena Playhouse, marked the coronation of Pasadena’s 102nd Rose Queen®. The new queen, selected from the 2020 Royal Court, would preside over both the 131st Rose Parade® and the 106th Rose Bowl® game on New Year’s Day, 2020.
.As mentioned in a previous post, the audience had the opportunity to meet the Royal Court, prior to the official announcement, courtesy of the evening’s MC, KTLA Morning News anchor Lynette Romero.
But prior to taking their seats for the coronation ceremony, guests enjoyed a generally festive atmosphere on the Pasadena Playhouse’s outdoor patio.
Many of Tournament of Roses®’ 935 “White Suiter” volunteers were on hand.
So were the proud families of the seven young women who had been chosen as members of the 2020 Royal Court.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning all-female mariachi band, the Mariachi Divas, provided entertainment.
Masterful performances of “Guantanamera” and the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” were just part of their program.
They also seemed to have a lot of fun playing a medley of songs for their youngest fans…
… including “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to a Latin beat.
Meanwhile, guests could spin the wheel for a chance to win prizes from Macy’s, which supplies the Royal Court’s wardrobe.
And decorations honored the 131st Rose Parade® theme, “The Power of Hope”.
Just before 7:00, everyone was asked to take their seats in the auditorium.
Onstage came the evening’s host, multiple Golden Mike- and Emmy-winning broadcaster Lynette Romero, of KTLA, Channel 5.
An MC’s memories
Ms. Romero shared with the audience her own Rose Parade® experience.
“I, like so many people, grew up watching the Rose Parade®,” she said. “And, thought you know, (watching it from her home state of Colorado), it’s not really real.”
The audience laughed.
“…And then I grew up. I moved to L.A., as a reporter, and guess what my first assignment was. The Rose Parade®, going down where they were getting the floats ready to go.”
Ms Romero said she had helped to decorate the float in the course of that assignment.
“And to actually be on the float, and see how it’s done, was really like a dream come true. It was amazing to me, how it all comes together, and then I realized, it was real.
And who knew that, years later I would be out there on the parade route, doing ‘Backstage at the Parade’ for KTLA, the countdown for KTLA…and now I’m here with you, to crown the Queen.”
The President’s perspective
Introducing 2020 Tournament of Roses® President Laura Farber, Ms. Romero described her as “someone who has inspired me the moment I met her…All she has done, she’s brought me to tears, because I feel so much pride.”
Cheers and applause resounded through the Pasadena Playhouse auditorium as President Farber took the stage.
“Many of you know that the (Tournament of Roses®) President gets to do something that nobody can veto, and that is to select a theme,” President Farber said. “And this year’s theme is ‘The Power of Hope.’ ‘El poder de la esperanza.'”
President Farber said she and her husband had selected the theme a few years earlier.
“I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at a time that was very difficult,” she said, “My parents made the difficult decision to leave everyone and everything they knew, to come to this country.
Her husband, she added, had a similar story with a different time frame. He and his family had left the Dominican Republic for the United States.
“Because this country represented a beacon of hope,” President Farber explained. “Hope for freedom of association, of speech, of religion. And of economic and educational opportunities.
“You see, hope is the belief that what is wanted, can be attained….With hope, anything–in fact everything–is possible.
“And…(our Royal Court members) give us hope for the future.
…And that is what you’re going to experience tonight, when you meet these phenomenal Royal Court members. They epitomize the power of hope. Enjoy.”
Royalty plus levity
After a brief appearance by Pasadena Playhouse Director of Development Nancy Baxter, and acknowledgement of the evening’s sponsors, the time had come to introduce the 2020 Royal Court.
“Do you guys want to meet ’em? Yeah?” Ms. Romero asked, prompting a loud round of applause.
Each member came onstage for a brief introduction and interview.
As covered in our previous post, Ms. Romero gave the audience some insights into the future hopes and aspirations of each of these seven young women.
But that didn’t mean everyone was going to be dead serious, all night long.
Favorite “fun” moments from the princesses’ introductions included Mia Thorsen’s assessment of her oil-painting skills.
“I like to do portraits, actually. But I’m not very good. So I like to say that they’re abstract portraits, ’cause when you say it’s abstract, you can kind of get away with some stuff. Just ask Picasso, he’ll tell you all about it.”
Ms. Romero also had a lighthearted exchange with Princess Reese Rosental Saporito.
“So, your mom, her name is Dory. And a lot of people have been asking me to ask you, if you ever had to find her,” Ms. Romero said.
Laughter rippled through the auditorium.
“My little cousins absolutely love that joke,” replied Princess Reese. “They love that movie. And, yes, I have had to find her. I get lost a lot.”
A few minutes after all the princesses had been introduced, Camille Kennedy became Pasadena’s 102nd Rose Queen®.
The new Queen and her Royal Court left the stage briefly.
Some royal honorees
The program continued, with the acknowledgement of some distinguished guests.
Requesting that the house lights be turned up, Ms. Romero asked any formal Royal Court members in the audience to stand for a round of applause.
“And I know there are some former Rose Queens® in attendance. Can we get you all to stand up, so we can give you a warm welcome,” Ms. Romero continued.
Then, it was time to honor a very special guest in attendance.
1940 Rose Queen® Margaret Huntley Main, Pasadena’s oldest living Rose Queen®, rose to her feet. The audience added cheers to their applause.
“So, Queen Margaret, this is your eightieth coronation,” commented Ms. Romero. “Where has the time gone?”
“I just was living and breathing, writing some books, having some wonderful children, loving Pasadena,” Queen Margaret updated. (She is the author of A Rose Queen Is Forever.)
“If I could give every one of you (in the audience) the microphone, we would echo the words President Laura and all those wonderful girls have said, wouldn’t we?”
The audience applauded in response.
Asked what advice she’d give the 2020 Royal Court, Queen Margaret said, “Enjoy every moment. You’re making memories for your life.”
A former Queen’s best wishes
Unfortunately, one person who couldn’t be present at the coronation ceremony was 2018 Rose Queen® Louise Deser Siskel.
Currently studying cellular and molecular biology at the University of Chicago, she had a calculus midterm! But she did convey her best wishes to the new queen, through modern technology.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be in Pasadena with you this evening,” Queen Louise said, via Skype. “I wanted to somehow (say) ‘congratulations’ to the newest Rose Queen®. I am certain this journey will be one of tremendous personal growth that…leave an impact on the communities she encounters. I wish her the best of luck through her year on the Royal Court.”
“I know she can’t hear us, but one more quick round of applause,” Ms. Romero requested. The audience complied.
A groundbreaking ensemble
Next, another highly inspiring group of women took the stage.
This time, the Mariachi Divas brought their full ensemble.
“Their backgrounds represent Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Egypt, Japan and believe it or not, about a half dozen other countries around the world,” Ms. Romero said in her introduction.
“…They have various degrees: bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, in music, art and philosophy. FIfteen full-length album releases. And…it was not easy to get them here, because they never stop working.”
“…Ladies and gentlemen, celebrating twenty years, and led by their musical director and trumpet player, Cindy Shea, the Mariachi Divas.”
For the next few minutes, the Mariachi Divas showed their Grammy-winning style.
Their uptempo, festive Latin selections had the audience clapping along.
The audience also clapped in time when, after their final bows, the group left the stage playing their interpretation of the Rose Parade®’s official theme song, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”.
“Boy, do they know how to get a party started, or what?” Ms. Romero commented.
The moment
The moment had arrived.
Each of the Royal Court members returned to the stage, escorted by her father.
Once again, the audience applauded each princess.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time for our Rose Queen®,” Ms. Romero said.
“Queen Camille Kennedy, escorted by her father, Tim Kennedy.”
The new Rose Queen® stepped forward.
After placing the crown on Queen Camille’s head…
… President Farber administered the Queen’s Oath.
And Pasadena’s 102nd Rose Queen® and her court smiled, as photographers and members of the media rushed forward.
Talking with the Royal Court
“Today was just so much fun, getting ready and just spending time, and then of course, cheering each other on in this stressful but fun event,” said Princess Michael.
Asked what she’d learned about leadership, since becoming a member of the Royal Court, Princess Michael said, “Just being able to get to know everyone….Knowing that, if someone is happy, to radiate off of that energy, and to be able to know who the person is and how they need to be motivated, or how they need to be comforted, and (I’ve grown as a leader by knowing) everybody’s personality.”
We asked Princess Cole about her future plans. In her onstage interview, she had said she intends to become a dermatologist.
“Kind of like I said earlier, I always wanted to do something that I needed help with when I was younger… to help other people,” she replied.
“And when I started having skin problems, I realized that it was really…until you deal with skin issues, and the confidence that is affected by that, you don’t really understand how bad it can get.
“And I just was like, okay. If I can find a way to go into a profession where I can help people with their skin…Skin is the largest organ in the body. And I just found it fascinating, the things that dermatologists (say). When they speak, it’s like another language….To be able to learn that, and understand that, and help people with that, would be an honor.
Preparing for tomorrow
So, what had her time on the Royal Court, so far, taught her about leadership, that would help her in her future medical career?
“Well, first of all, we do a lot of training,” she said. “We actually did a leadership training, we have etiquette training, speech training. So through all of this, there’s no way we can’t take anything out of it to go on for the rest of our lives.
“We have interviewing skills for college interviews and job interviews, and just also, social skills. We’re going to a lot of events and talking with a lot of people, and so through that, we know…how to do small talk, and we know how to present ourselves…in the best way that we can.”
And, years from now, what might Princess Cole tell a future generation about her Royal Court experience?
“I would just tell my grandkids that I was able to do something that I set my mind to,” she said. “And I think I would use that as a reminder for them. Because I didn’t have the confidence going in, that I would be on the Court here today.
“Growing up around it, I always just looked at it as a distant dream, that wasn’t for me. So now that I’m here, I think it just goes to show that if you have a little bit of hope, you can go far.”
A Queen’s hope and vision
Among her hopes for the future, Queen Camille said, was a more immediate one.
“All I could think of (when my name was announced) was, ‘oh, my gosh, I hope that crown doesn’t fall off,” she said. “It was really heavy. It almost did! It was a little topsy-turvy.
“But I’m going to get used to it. And moving forward, I just hope that the other girls and I can work towards being the best 2020 Royal Court that we possibly can be.”