The Rose Parade - Part 2

.
For the carnival is over
We may never meet again
The Seekers 1965

Wow. What a spectacle.
It was magnificent, heart-warming, flashy and OTT all in one.

We set the alarm early so that we didn't miss anything and my timing was immaculate.
We arrived at the junction of Colorado & Arroyo 5 minutes before the front of the parade got there.
Unfortunately, about 15 rows of other spectators timed it better and we found ourselves at the back of the crowd.
This wasn't too bad for me as I'm generally taller than the average El Salvadorean who seemed to dominate our section of the crowd. Val was not so fortunate as she quickly started to feel distressed in such a press of people and retired back to the hotel to watch the parade on TV.
I managed to get pictures above the heads of my fellow revellers but had to synchronise with the 'Fighting Illini' fan next to me so that we weren't taking pictures of each other taking pictures. It didn't always work.
Most of the floats were spectacular and showed just why they have already started working on their 2009 projects.
My particular favourite was the 55' high Indian Chief as he had a whole entourage of Indian warriors, mounted on wild horses, to accompany him and they looked just as spectacular in their outfits as did their ponies, similarly kitted out.








The most impressively innovative was the Honda entry which morphed from a Pick-up to a flame spouting rocket ship, a la Transformers. Impossible to get on camera from a static position so you'll just have to take my word for it OR watch it on the DVD we hope we've been able to record with N&M's help.

Don't forget that all the floats are made of flowers, not necessarily roses though there were several million of those used amongst all the entries.

One of the many traits I admire in Americans is their Patriotism (it deserves the capital P) and their love of a hero. This was apparent every time a Police group, Fire Engine or Military band came past.
Flags waved, crowds cheered and people wept and though most of my fellow spectators were immigrants, they were as vocal and appreciative as the rest. I got quite caught up in it at times.The US Marine band was there too, doing a great job in a traditional manner, not as good as our own Royal Marines I have to say but that's no disgrace. They naturally got a well deserved cheer.
What pushed my buttons however was the marching bands with their flag waggers, cheer leaders & majorettes.
Never having seen a live performance from a High School marching band before, I was stunned at the precision of their display, the colour and magnificence of their outfits and the sheer quality of the sound they are able to produce on the move. They were full of energy and dynamism.
John Minsker, CD of the Crown City Chorus, made a comment at one of their rehearsals that immediately struck a chord with me as I thought it was so, so apt. He said that he'd like perfection & excitement all the time but if he could only have one, excitement took it every time.
This was the difference between the Marine band and the marching bands. The latter won it hands down on excitement.

Of course, to put on a display like this costs money. Lots of it.
We heard on the pre-parade TV show this morning from the bandmaster of one of the high school bands that their parents had managed to raise all the money themselves, through various activities, to send the 300 band members to the parade from their mid-western school.
That required, wait for it.......$1m !!!! Yes, 1 million dollars!!! WOW.
The loudest cheer of the day however was, without doubt, saved for the High School marching band from El Salvador and this wasn't due to the nationality of my neighbours. You could hear a huge cheer proceeding them as they approached and receding with them as they went past.
They had a particular story that had touched the hearts of everyone.
Unable to afford the airfares for their party, they boarded buses in El Salavador on Christmas Day and travelled 5 days to get to Pasadena, just to be part of the parade. Tomorrow, they must make the return journey to get home. I just hope that they realise that their's was the loudest cheer and that they were everyone's favourites.

Besides the floats & bands, there were many others who took part but most were too low for me to catch on camera. However these glamorous cow-girls did me a favour by standing up so I'll return the favour by making them internationally famous

Two hours was how long it took for the main parade to pass but following in their wake were the 'hangers-on'.
Religious fanatics telling us to repent and stop enjoying ourselves and the loony left trying to convince us that it was correct to impeach Bush & Cheney for their sins over Iraq etc.
The former group were generally ignored and the latter were generally booed and told to go home.
I have nothing to comment on either of their ideals as it's neither my country nor my place to do so but I felt that they had no right to throw a damper on what had been a celebration of good, wholesome family entertainment.
I stayed on after the parade just to see what would be left by the crowds who had been there for over 24 hours.
These pictures tell the story. In just my small area, besides the acres of paper and food/drink litter, I saw a perfectly good plastic patio chair, a pillow complete with pillow case, a deflated inflatable bed and a broken pushchair (stroller).








Val & I took a stroll up to Old Pasadena later to grab a coffee and see how things were progressing and a remarkable transformation was taking place. Colorado was generally free from major litter but some still remained in the gutters and the side-walks had received their first sweeping and only the stubborn litter remained. Council workers and shopkeepers were already tackling this final push. Only the side streets remained un-cleaned.
Funnily enough, small isolated groups of spectators were still encamped as if they couldn't give up the idea of the party.
This was a wonderful day and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Probably because my knees and back won't let me forget!!