Drenched but Delighted

It didn’t rain on the parade, but there was nearly enough of a downpour in Pasadena on Thursday to redefine the term “Rose Parade float.”

Nevertheless, the annual day-after viewing of Tournament of Roses floats went on, with about 50,000 spectators getting a close-up look at the 56 floral creations parked along Washington and Sierra Madre boulevards.

These were no fair-weather fans, noted Loren F. Brodhead, chairman of the Tournament of Roses post-parade committee, whose mood was brightened by the large turnout. “We’ve got a huge crowd. We’re happily surprised, and so far no one’s slipping or sliding.”

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Slipping and sliding may not have been a problem, but just about everyone got soaked. Vendors hawking T-shirts and tournament programs held up their samples in plastic bags, and many visitors fashioned plastic grocery bags into hats to keep the rain off their heads.

Some had feared that the flowers, leaves, seeds and other glued-on natural materials would begin to fall off in the rain, but little damage was done.

“This is my baby, and I worry about it all the time, but it held up really well,” said Bill Hatch, a Cal Poly Pomona student and chairman of the university’s float committee, of his school’s entry.

Hatch explained that although it hasn’t rained on a Rose Parade in four decades, rain often falls the day before or after the parade. Because of that, he said, float builders take precautions such as painting surfaces to match the color of flowers and other coverings that might fall off.

Brodhead said the rain may actually have been better for the floats than hot sunshine, which would have wilted the flowers.

Even hardier than the floats were the die-hard spectators, whose enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by the weather.

Erik and Arlene Sundstrom of Pomona had to park nearly a mile away from the viewing site and trudge through the rain with their 4-year-old son, Cordell. It was the family’s first trip to see the floats.

“A classmate called me yesterday and told me there was a float from the Philippines, so we had to come out,” said Arlene, who is from that country. As a drizzle fell, she snapped photographs of the float, featuring a Filipina holding a streaming flower lei of orchids and sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines, to send to relatives.

The misty rain turned into a heavier downpour about 1 p.m., but the lines for tickets continued to stretch about 30-deep.

Pete and Martha Marquez arrived from Hacienda Heights with their four children just as the rain intensified, but said they weren’t turning back. “We’ve promised to come for years, but this is our first time, “ Martha said. “It’s the first time in a few years we both have the day off.” Her husband interjected: “It’s also the first time in a while we haven’t been broke after Christmas.”

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For large families, the $1-per-person post-parade viewing is far less costly than buying $40 tickets for seats at the parade.

And Van Nuys resident Monica Miller dwelt on the positive when discussing the Thursday weather.

“It’s really not bad,” she said. “At least it’s not cold.”