Governorâs Award goes to Glendale Rose Parade float
The pageantry of the Tournament of Roses Parade took over the streets of Pasadena for the 125th time Wednesday morning with a cast of thousands. Marching bands from as far as Japan, equestrian groups featuring Appaloosa, Andalusian and Clydesdale horses, KC & the Sunshine Band, Natalie Cole and this yearâs winner of NBCâs âThe Voice,â Tessanne Chin all joined the festivities.
Of course, what most of the nearly 800,000 fans came out to see were the floats with their larger-than-life characters and vividly colored roses.
PHOTOS: The 125th annual Tournament of Roses parade
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story misspelled the word Clydesdale.
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Glendaleâs 2014 entry, âLetâs Be Neighbors,â featured local flora and fauna. While the song âBear Neccessitiesâ played through the loudspeakers, a deer, a coyote, a raccoon and other California wildlife wagged their tails and Glendaleâs most famous animal marauder, Meatball the Bear, popped out of a giant trashcan.
âLetâs be Neighborsâ won the prestigious Governorâs Award for best depiction of life in California. Patty Bettancourt, in charge of logistics for the float has been participating in the parade for four years.
âWe are thrilled,â said Bettancourt.
Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver sat on a park bench mounted on the float, which was Glendaleâs 100th entry in the Rose Parade.
Glendale-based company Public Storageâs entry was a crowd and judgeâs favorite as well. Its float, âAdventures in Space,â featured a large spaceship that held three smaller vehicles which would pop out and wheel through the crowd before returning to the âmothership.â âAdventures in Spaceâ won the Grand Marshalâs Award for excellence in creative concept and design.
The Fantasy Award for most outstanding display of fantasy and imagination went to Burbank for its innovative entry âLights! Camera! Action!â An evil villain rode a train waving a deed and chasing a young maiden while a hero on horseback raced to save her. The float had a mining car filled with black roses to simulate coal.
Jon Reeves, head of construction for the Burbank float, has worked with the Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn. for 12 years.
âThis is the 100th anniversary of Burbankâs first float entry in the parade, but it is actually the 80th float. There were a few years here and there that we didnât have an entry,â said Reeves. âTo my knowledge this is the first time we have had a celebrity rider though.â
Director Garry Marshall (âPretty Womanâ) sat at the head of the float âdirectingâ the action and his son Scott Marshall, also an accomplished director, played the camera man.
The float, an ode to silent films, held a real train whistle and played an original soundtrack composed by Timo Chen.
âWe are one of the six self-built floats in this yearâs parade,â said Reeves. âItâs good to see the âselfiesâ doing so well this year.â
Five out of the six self-builts, made entirely by the entrants and volunteers, took home awards. The Burbank float will be on display at Glenoaks and Olive form January 3 through 6.
Perhaps the most animated and fun entry in the 2014 Tournament of Roses Parade was the La Canada/Flintridge float, âDog Gone!â Winner of this yearâs Bob Hope Humor Award, âDog Gone!â featured crazy dogs who take over a dogcatcherâs truck and turn the tables on him.
The concept was concocted by an eighth grader from Orange County, winner of the annual idea contest which is already underway for next year.
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