Rose Bowl Parade Preview 001
On Dec. 30 and 31, several Penn Staters took advantage of a Rose Bowl Parade float preview tour to catch a sneak peek at a dozen of the 46 floral-covered floats to be featured in the 120th annual parade. The stadium is in the same location as one of the float preparation sites, set against the San Gabriel Mountains.
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One of the many parade volunteers, recognized by attire consisting of white suits and red ties, welcomed a tour bus of Penn State alumni to the Rose Bowl grounds as they prepared for a long wait in lines to peer out over the floats in progress.
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Several of the floats on the preview tour didn't seem anywhere near completion in time for the main round of judging on Dec. 31, but everyone along the tour route ensured observers that the floats would be finished in time.
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A float that appeared to be impossible to cover entirely in organic materials in less than 40 hours' time nevertheless reflected this year's parade theme, "Hats Off to Entertainment."
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Hundreds of volunteers were found climbing on, walking around and seated at work tables at nearly every square foot of the float preparation site. For a nominal fee any person could volunteer to work on a float.
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A second room within the prep site revealed more complete and intricately detailed floats. This bear was one of at least two visible from the upper-level viewing area. Well camoflaged in green clothing were two volunteers underneath the bear.
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Larger-than-life purple roses were assembled under the sketch of the "Roseville" float. Interestingly, the building didn't have a floral fragrance; instead, it smelled of glue and paint. Previous parade-goers assured first-time attendees that they would catch whiffs of flowers along the parade route as the finished floats passed by.
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Dozens of volunteers sat at tables carefully cutting and disassembling thousands upon thousands of live and dried flowers and other organic materials for artistic use.
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Yet another float seemed to have weeks' worth of work awaiting to be done, but volunteers were very active, seeming to be fully aware of the looming deadline. The final round of float judging occurs at 4:30 a.m. Pacific Time on New Year's Day, when many parade-goers are awake and getting ready to board buses to the ticket-only grandstands. As of Tuesday evening (Dec. 30), many curbside "... Read more ›
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A second viewing area inside a tent in a parking lot across from recreational vehicles already parked for Thursday's game, students from Cal Poly were hard at work on their school's float. Visitors were told that Cal Poly's entry is a perennial award winner.
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In a stroke of luck, the Penn State alumni touring the tent came across four Penn State students who were volunteering for float construction duty along with one of the student's parents. Inside their paper bucket was the total of their two hours of work disassembling flowers. Check back at Penn State Live for a video interview of the students to be posted soon.
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