When flowers collide with vintage cars

Just imagine what it takes to decorate with 10,000 fresh flowers the Tournament of Roses Parade’s vintage cars carrying its VIPs. This 123rd Rose Parade theme of “Just Imagine” provided an extra dollop of fantasy, and that included the efforts of the designers of the flower arrangements provided by local Florists’ Transworld Delivery florist Jacob Maarse Florists.

“The toughest challenge in applying the flowers is protecting the cars themselves,” said Richard White, a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers. White and his business partner Patricia Gomez were charged with protecting the lead cars while applying the flowers. “We handle each car like a newborn,” Gomez said.

On the formal porch of Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses House, some 70 guests enjoyed a reception to honor those who will begin decorating the vintage cars displayed on the House’s lawn. They were welcomed by Tournament of Roses President Richard W. Jackson. On Dec. 28, the decorators’ reception marked the first day of careful application of the flowers.

As we saw earlier this week, war veteran, “Dancing with the Stars” winner and Grand Marshal J.R. Martinez rode in the lead car. But underneath those 2,000 flowers was a collector’s dream car — a V-16 all-weather Phaeton circa 1933. In layman’s terms, that’s a $1-million Cadillac. Owners from San Marino, Valerie and Aaron Weiss, turned an eagle eye on the first application of flowers. They wanted to make sure their “baby” was handled, well, like a baby.

First-timers in the parade were vintage-car owners Lynette and Vaughn Vartanian. Their vintage car is a 1909 Pierce-Arrow, model 48SS, a seven-passenger touring car. Vaughn is president of Hye-Line Electric Inc.

This is the second time owners Joyce and Clifford Gooding’s 1932 Packard rode the parade route. This Sport Phaeton, a sort of café au lait color, was originally owned by actress Jean Harlow.

Decorators’ reception Chairman Greg Custer said a Tournament of Roses committee, through word of mouth, invites the cars and their owners to ride in the parade. Early potential entries may also be spotted at the San Marino Rotary Classic in June.

In total, about 18 million flowers are used on parade floats each year, applied very carefully. When White was asked how the flowers are applied to do the least damage to the vintage cars, White answered, “I won’t tell; it’s a trade secret.”

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It was a winter wonderland at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. Forty-five tons of snow were trucked into the museum’s courtyard from Dec. 26 through Dec. 28. It was the fourth year of the Snow Days winter celebration.

On Dec. 28, kids and their families made snowmen, snow angels, snowballs and even painted with ice. They came from far and wide. Ilana Berg from Woodland Hills brought her children Abigail Berg, 2, and Elinor Berg, 1. Santa Clarita residents included Judy and Richard Lee and their daughter Naomi Lee, 2. Monique Akker hailed from Torrance. She brought daughter Isabelle Akker, 3, and son Jason Akker, 4. Wearing pink sunglasses against the light on the sunny morning, Isabelle posed for photos with a giant statue of a polar bear in a Santa cap and green scarf in front of the museum.

Locals also flocked to the museum. Pasadena residents included Mom Beth Housten and daughter Beeca Housten, 3.

“This is a great experience for kids who have never experienced snow before,” said Kidspace CEO Michael Shanklin. “This year we decided to make it even bigger and better.”

The Digging Deeper Gallery at Kidspace, featuring more than 20 interactive exhibits, was open for exploration during Snow Days. Visitors also explored the museum’s 2 1/2 acres of interactive gardens.

Kidspace is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ruth Sowby may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.