If you are from the LA County area, odds are you have heard of the Rose Parade. If not, the Rose Parade is ‘America’s New Years Celebration’ put on by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. The floats in the parade are decorated with only natural materials such as seeds and flowers. I went to the Irwindale Float Barn with Vice President Ed Morales, my dad, and got to see a float test where volunteers take the floats for a drive to make sure the engines are working. This float barn is owned by Fiesta Parade Floats and is a past home to the float that carries the Rose Queen and Court. The volunteers begin testing their floats in June.

I saw the Dole and UPS float as well as the Sky Zone float. None of them have been decorated yet because the fresh flowers can only be but on the float a few days before the parade. This years parade theme is The Melody of Life and the Grand Marshall is Chaka Khan. The President this year is Mr. Gerald Freeny.

This year’s Royal Court includes Princess Lauren Baydalin, Princess Ashley Hackett, Princess Rucha Kadam, Princess Sherry Ma, Princess Micaela McElrath, Princess Helen Rossi, and Rose Queen Louise Siskel. Princess Michaela is cousins with last years Rose Queen Bella Marez, a St. Philip alumni.

The volunteers of the Tournament of Roses cannot wait to see you on January 1st, 2019.

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