Roses Parade

City officials this week established a special fund to encourage private donations to fund the city’s annual float entry in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade. Glendale is currently the second-longest float entrant, but with $80,000 in city funding for the float hanging in the balance, the city’s entry is at risk of being withdrawn from this year’s parade. The Glendale Rose Float Assn. is typically asked to raise $50,000, but has struggled so far this year to attract substantial donations.

Thousands gathered under clear, blue skies Monday for Pasadena's yearly spectacle of fantastical floral floats, high-stepping marching bands and colorful equestrian units. Themed "Just Imagine," the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade was expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors this year. The parade is being held on Jan. 2 instead of the traditional Jan. 1 because the parade is not held on Sundays. The event this year was punctuated by a demonstration: The group Occupy the Rose Parade carried signs drawing attention to their cause of income inequality, and dozens of protesters planned to march at the end of the parade with an Occupy Octopus "live" float constructed of plastic bags.

Tim Willert PASADENA -- Eleven-year-old Katie Cox, Bob's Big Boy earrings dangling from her lobes, prepared to board the '57 Chevy Bel Air convertible that would accompany Glendale's float down Colorado Boulevard in Tuesday's Tournament of Roses Parade. "I'm a little nervous because I told all my friends to watch for me," said the 11-year-old, wearing a cheerleader's outfit her mom borrowed from Glendale High School. "But I'm ready." Minutes later, "Rock Around the Clock," a re-creation of the landmark Bob's Big Boy drive-in restaurant that was a popular hangout for Glendale-area teens in the 1950s, was on the move.

Robert Chacon The 116th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Saturday in Pasadena will have a heavy local flavor. Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta will either have floats in the parade or residents marching in bands. Five girls from La Canada Flintridge will ride in the parade as members of the 2005 Royal Court, including Queen Ashley Moreno. "The past few weeks have been really crazy, but it's going to be such an honor to be riding in the parade as the Rose Queen," Ashley said.

The smell of food on the grill and the sounds of music took over the KABC Channel 7 Studios courtyard Sunday as hundreds came to take part in the 8th Annual Dreaming of Roses. The event helped raise funds for the city’s Tournament of Roses Parade rose float, “Bon Voyage.” The Glendale Rose Float Assn. organized the fundraiser to reimburse half the cost of the float, which the city pays for, Sean Bersell, vice president of the association, said, adding that it costs about $90,000 to construct and decorate the float.

Glendale’s aviation-themed float, “Bon Voyage,” made a safe landing among the award-winning entries in the 2008 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Tuesday. The float, which depicts a 1930s-era biplane taking off from the city’s historic Grand Central Air Terminal, was awarded the Mayor’s Trophy, which goes to the best float entry from a city. It was the fourth time in five years that Glendale’s float received formal recognition from the Tournament of Roses at the New Year’s Day parade, said Glendale City Councilman Dave Weaver, the crew chief for the float.

Jabs at float and committee offensive Thank you Tim Doyle for the publicity ("There's room to float some better ideas," Wednesday). Welcome to "Dogpatch." Maybe you should move out of Glendale to La Cañada-Flintridge, so you can tell your fancy Westside friends that you, too, live in a fancy community. Be sure to also point out that the La Cañada Flintridge 2006 float entry in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade was "The Great Howldini," a magical dog pulling a goofy rabbit out of a hat with a snake performing the cups and balls.

Horse enthusiasts turned out Tuesday at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center to catch glimpses of jousting, roping, open paddock, exhibits and precision teams as part Equestfest. The annual lead-up to the Tournament of Roses gave spectators an up-close and personal opportunity to meet many of the equestrians who will be seen by viewing audiences across the world New Year’s Day in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade. Horses performed drills and dances, and demonstrated trick riding and roping as visitors strolled through the stables, taking pictures and learning about various breeds.

People that attend the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade are not the only ones who appreciate and enjoy the Stealth bomber fly-over (“There is a time and place for everything,” Jan. 11). My family and I look forward to going outside to search the sky for the Stealth bomber before the parade. We have the pleasure of seeing the awesome sight when it goes over our home on its way to the parade. Thousands of us who are seniors, or who are unable to attend the parade, enjoy watching the plane with heartfelt pride and admiration for a country able to keep us safe with such an aircraft as beautiful as the Stealth bomber.

Breakfast with Santa on Saturday The La Crescenta Woman’s Club Juniors is hosting Breakfast with Santa from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 1 at the clubhouse located at 4004 La Crescenta Ave. Highlights include holiday music by Rosemont Middle School Ensemble under the direction of Rod Yonkers; Mrs. Claus’s Story Corner, which will feature felt board stories by special guest Vernise Elaine Pelzel, children’s author and award-winning educator;...

With $25 and some luck, you could win two seats on Glendale's 100 t h Tournament of Roses Parade float. The city is selling raffle tickets to raise money to build the float and is asking for a minimum donation of $25 for the chance to wave to thousands of spectators standing along the Pasadena parade route on New Year's Day. With little money to pay for floats in recent years, city officials have relied on residents and corporate...

As Glendale prepares to design its 100th float for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, it could, for the first time, feature pyrotechnics or water features. But advanced design elements come at higher cost, and after years of scrimping on float costs due to tight city budgets, the City Council approved spending $155,000 on what Community Services & Parks Director Jess Duran called a “historic monument.” “It would be great to win another award and it would be very fitting to win an award on our 100th year,” Duran said at a City Hall meeting this week.

Cool and breezy conditions are expected to give way to another rainstorm later this week, but forecasters say it should be mostly clear and brisk by New Year's Day and the all-important Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Gusty northwest winds were expected for some areas through Thursday morning with most of the region experiencing fair weather Thursday and Friday, said experts with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Many areas will experience 15- to 25-mph winds, they said, and the Antelope Valley and the mountains should see west to northwest winds of up to 45 mph. A winter weather advisory was issued for Thursday until 10 a.m., with blistery snow showers expected on north facing mountain slopes in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Judie Estep, who was born and raised in Glendale, has a long history with the city's Tournament of Roses float. It all began when she was a little girl. “My dad was the adult leader of the high school group at North Glendale United Methodist Church. I was 10 or 11 at the time, but I went along.” Each year, the group decorated Glendale's float as a fundraiser. “I was too little to put flowers on, but I cut blossoms off the stems.” The float designer during this time (the 1960s and early '70s)

Instead of inviting reality TV star Kim Kardashian to ride atop Glendale's Tournament of Roses Parade float, four local high school students will get the honor. While the students are being reviewed by the parade organizers this week, City Council members said Tuesday night that they want to set guidelines for who can ride the float in the future. In the past, riders have included council members, float fundraisers and Miss Asia USA. “I think what we should do is perhaps set forth some loose guidelines, some preferences,” said Councilman Ara Najarian, who broached the idea of inviting Kardashian to ride the float last week.

Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian has pulled his request to invite reality television star Kim Kardashian to ride atop the city's Rose Parade float given that she's already booked for a New Year's Eve event in Las Vegas. The proposal was to be discussed by the full City Council Tuesday night after Najarian was able to get it onto the agenda last week , contending Kardashian's appearance would be a public relations boon for Glendale. “I didn't want to put her in a position to turn down the city of Glendale due to a conflict,” Najarian said Monday.

The Alex Theatre, Americana at Brand and Glendale Adventist Medical Center are set to take center stage on Glendale's float for the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade after the Glendale City Council on Tuesday approved the final design. City officials took a more proactive role in all aspects of the float after the circus elephant design for 2012 led to backlash from animal advocates, particularly from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which protested what the group considered to be a symbol of animal cruelty.

One of the most controversial floats ever entered in Pasadena's Tournament of Roses parade was a flower-covered, party-hat-wearing basset hound labeled, "Havin' Fun Yet?" And it came from Glendale. It all began in the early months of 1999 when Phoenix Decorating, of Pasadena (which designed many of Glendale's floats) presented several choices to the Rose Float Assn. One was of a dog, a basset hound, with a sad look. He wore a party hat and carried a noisemaker in his mouth.

People that attend the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade are not the only ones who appreciate and enjoy the Stealth bomber fly-over (“There is a time and place for everything,” Jan. 11). My family and I look forward to going outside to search the sky for the Stealth bomber before the parade. We have the pleasure of seeing the awesome sight when it goes over our home on its way to the parade. Thousands of us who are seniors, or who are unable to attend the parade, enjoy watching the plane with heartfelt pride and admiration for a country able to keep us safe with such an aircraft as beautiful as the Stealth bomber.