Roses Parade

Joshua Pelzer Some in the city are dreaming of roses and hoping an evening of dinner, dancing and auctions will help pad the city's coffers for Glendale's 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade float entry. The Dreaming of Roses Committee, in its fourth year, will attempt to raise the $90,000 needed for the float at a fund-raiser scheduled for Sept. 7 at the new KABC-TV studio facility. Grappling with a possible $5-million budget deficit for next year, the city is expected to cut its contribution from the full amount to $50,000, with continued cuts each year until the float program is self-sufficient.

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.

A series of designers have constructed Glendale’s floats over the nearly 100 years since the city first entered Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade. The first floats (beginning in 1911) were last minute affairs. They were often a city vehicle covered with flowers from local gardens. In 1920, L.W. and Georgia Chobe began a nearly 20-year reign. Lewis Stanley took over after World War II, followed by Sam Coleman. In the months before the 1975 parade, Coleman Enterprises gave way to a new team, Wayne Herrin and Don Preston, who designed floats for the Portland Rose Festival before making their way to Pasadena.

Having watched the city of Glendale budget session on television, I would like to clarify a few points. The Glendale Rose Float Assn. was formed in 1978 to help offset the cost of the Glendale float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. It was never in our by-laws to pay half the cost to the city. Councilman Dave Weaver, in his seemingly pompous way, stated that the wrong people are running the Glendale Rose Float Assn. He said that corporate presidents who know something about fundraising should be in charge.

Tim Willert PASADENA -- Ward Grant huddled with friends at the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards, eagerly awaiting the start of Tuesday's Tournament of Roses Parade. "It's different each year, but it's consistent," said Grant, a Burbank resident and public relations director for entertainer Bob Hope. "It's the only parade that smells good, except after an equestrian event." The 113th annual parade, dubbed "Salute to America" and themed "Good Times," lived up to its patriotic billing, entertaining an estimated 1 million parade goers and a television audience of 200 million-plus worldwide.

Tim Willert PASADENA -- Instead of waking up before the roosters for Monday's Rose Parade, Karen and Rob Herman of Glendale tried a different approach. They arrived later than usual, and went the end of the parade route to get a good look at "Hometown Slugger," the city of Glendale's float entry. "It was a long wait, but it was definitely worth it," said Karen, whose son, Josh, rode on the baseball-themed float. "It's always better to see the floats up close."

LA CAÑADA -- The La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association has Rose Parade tickets for sale. The parade is on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006 instead of Sunday, Jan. 1. These are good seats at a reasonable price. To purchase tickets, contact Dave Moffett at 952-8456. The reason the parade is on Jan. 2 instead of New Year's Day is that the Pasadena Tournament of Roses has a "never on Sunday" rule that goes back to the days when people tied their horses in front of the churches along the parade route.

Janine Marnien Having three girls from La Canada Flintridge schools on the Tournament of Roses Royal Court has had its benefits for local restaurant Georgee's Pizza. The court was manning a telephone holiday help line in Pasadena on Friday, fielding questions from callers about the parade. When Princess Katherine Berber, a senior at Flintridge Sacred Heart, was asked to recommend a good pizza place, she immediately suggested the popular local hangout.

So you're going to the Rose Parade. Many choices lie ahead. Buy a seat near the heart of the television spectacle at Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards, or rough it on free sidewalk space further down the parade route? Take a chance with street parking, or reserve a spot in advance? Brave the freeways? Better know which ramps are closed. The Rose Parade is expected to draw approximately 800,000 people to the streets of Pasadena on Jan. 2, some camping overnight to reserve a sidewalk spot.

J.R. Martinez, the Iraq war veteran who was badly disfigured in a land mine explosion, danced away with the championship trophy on "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday. Martinez will be the grand marshal for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade on Jan. 2. The name "J.R. Martinez" was unknown to most Americans and stuck out when ABC announced the roster of celebrities competing in this season of the hit show. But that didn't last long. Continue reading > > ALSO : Iraq war vet and 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant named Roses grand marshal Glendale takes over Rose Parade float process -- Rene Lynch, Los Angeles Times Photo: Dancing With the Stars winner and Iraq war veteran, J.R. Martinez, was named the grand marshal for Pasadena Tournament of Roses on Tuesday, November 1, 2011.