A Float Barely Afloat

Through four major wars, several economic depressions and an occasional natural disaster, the city of Arcadia has sponsored a Tournament of Roses float every year since 1912.

But January’s may be the city’s last.

Demographic shifts, generational differences and changing economic priorities have eliminated 80% of the membership in the community’s Tournament of Roses Assn., which finances the float.

“We’re having serious problems this year,” said Vince Foley, chairman of the association.

The sale of $45 memberships in the privately funded group has fallen to 135 from a peak of more than 700 in the 1960s.

In desperation, the association recently sent a mass mailing to Arcadia residents asking for contributions and emphasizing that it receives no public subsidy. Officials are also trying to increase participation by the city’s growing Asian population.

“I would certainly hate to see this tradition go,” said Arcadia Mayor Barbara Kuhn. “But public support for the float has been declining for years.”

Arcadia is among more than a dozen Southern California cities that regularly sponsor floats in the Rose Parade. Other communities appear to have avoided such financial straits by using more diversified fund-raising approaches.

In Arcadia, the parade group has been responsible for fund-raising and overseeing construction of the city’s float since 1967.

Foley declined to reveal the cost of the 1997 float. Depending on the parade’s theme and how much the association raises from memberships and corporate donations, expenses have ranged from $35,000 to $115,000, he said.

Foley acknowledged that the association has become overly dependent on memberships. “In the last few years, due to bad economic times, changing ethnic populations and the simple fact that people eventually get old and die, our numbers have been dropping rapidly.”

Foley said the association is working to inform newcomers about Arcadia’s float tradition. Asians, whose numbers have increased significantly throughout the San Gabriel Valley, now make up about a quarter of Arcadia’s population of 48,000.

“We have several Asians sitting on our 25-member board of directors, and they have been a big help in bringing new ideas to the table for fund-raising,” he said. “Many people in the Asian media and community have approached me to ask how they can help out. I think it takes a while for any new group of people moving into a community to feel like they’re a part of the city social fabric.”

Longtime Arcadians have to do their part as well, he said.

Other Southern California communities use a variety of approaches to build their Rose Parade floats. Monrovia’s entry, for example, is sponsored by a group of downtown merchants who hold a series of fund-raising events. Among them is a weekly Friday night Family Festival, which consists of a craft show combined with a farmer’s market. The festival brings in $12,000 annually.

The Monrovia merchants also sponsor an annual Mexican fiesta and a Veterans of Foreign Wars dance and dinner. Monrovia residents get a chance to bid from $500 to $1,000 for a seat on the float.

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For Long Beach, which has entered a float for 88 consecutive years, commerce is as important as pride. As a major shipping port, the city believes that the potential worldwide television audience of 800 million makes Rose Parade participation crucial, officials say. The city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau funds the float.

“Anything we do that helps promote Long Beach’s desirability as a world-class port is in our best interest,” said Gary Sherwin, vice president of the convention bureau.

The Rose Parade float that could be Arcadia’s last is now being built by Phoenix Decorating in Pasadena. The title is “A Crowning Moment,” in line with the 1997 parade’s theme of “Life’s Shining Moments.”

Arcadia’s Foley says the best he can do is let citizens know that their participation is needed to keep the community’s float alive.

“If the people of Arcadia feel that they need to move on from having an annual entry in the Rose Parade, I can accept that,” Foley said. “But I want to make sure that it’s a conscious decision on their part and not because they didn’t know that we were having money problems.”