Partying Down In Pasadena Parade And Its Preparations Give All A Reason To Celebrate New Year
Every New Year’s, Pasadena turns into the wildest, strangest and most fascinating city in America.
The New Year’s Eve party starts at noon on Dec. 31, when over 50,000 parade lovers begin to arrive to stake out their campsite for the night on Colorado Boulevard. They drag along sleeping bags, cots, blankets, barbecues, cassette players, radios, TVs, footballs, Frisbees and even dance floors, assembling the biggest New Year’s Eve party in the country.
As soon as their campsite is set up, the party begins. For hours cars and motorcycles screech by, then just before midnight motorcycle cops whiz along, clearing Colorado Boulevard of all traffic. As the clock strikes 12, all 50,000 curbside campers rush to the center of the street and scream “Happy New Year!”
At sunset earlier, strange creatures start entering the city from all directions. Last year, a giant circus clown walked up the hill — on his hands — from the Rose Bowl, and an 18-piece marching band of brightly colored elephants danced by. Across town a woman looked out of her second-story window and saw a giant gorilla holding a kicking and screaming girl in his hand.
Meanwhile, 250 horses were being bedded down for the night on closed freeways.
At 3 a.m., here come de judges. By now, all the floats have arrived at their designated places in the parade line-up and the awards and ribbons are presented.
At 5 a.m., busloads of band members find their places in the parade line-up and start tuning up for their once-in-a-lifetime Rose Parade performance. And the dignitaries begin to arrive; the Rose Queen and her royal court, movie and TV stars, astronauts, sky-jumpers, the Grand Marshal and other notables take their place on the floats and in cars. All are gathering at the formation area in front of Tournament House to enhance the beauty of the most lavish and creative display of fresh flowers in the world - the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.
Promptly at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, all eyes will be on the skies as the Navy Rough Raiders blast-off with a flyover along the 5-mile parade route. When they’re out of sight, the Army’s Golden Knights will appear on the horizon, and soon paratroopers wearing black and gold will land along the parade route.
On the ground, the first of 52 floats will glide by. A flowing 50-foot American flag and a spectacular bald eagle soar above the parade, depicting “Symbols of America” as booming sounds of patriotic songs vibrate the ground and grandstands. A posse of wild mustangs will lead the first of 250 unique pure-bred horses to prance their equine hearts out. High-kicking majorettes will then toss their batons in front of 24 award-winning bands, opening with “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”
Seventeen-year-old Michelle Jacobs, the 83rd Rose Queen, will reign over the 52 floats. Grand Marshal Tom Brokaw, joined by his wife, Meredith, and his family, will represent the theme, “Fabric of America,” which promotes individual differences of our nation.
Later at Rose Bowl Stadium, during one of the pre-Rose Bowl game festivities, the Rough Raiders will return for a flyover and the Golden Knights will land on the football field.
At 2 p.m., the Rose Bowl will showcase two of college football’s finest teams, the Pac-10’s University of Washington vs. Big Ten’s Purdue University.
Approximately 100 million viewers across the nation and an estimated 400 million people in more than 100 countries will be watching Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
Without compare, Pasadena at New Year’s is the most unique city on earth. The first settlers here could never have dreamed their land would ever become so famous.
A bitterly cold Midwestern winter in 1873 gave birth to Pasadena.
In Indianapolis during that awful winter, Daniel Berry, a teacher turned journalist, met with a small group of friends in Thomas Elliot’s home and soon the talk turned to the weather. How could they escape the snows and freezing temperatures? Where could they grow their crops year round and plant citrus trees? Within a few months, Berry and a few friends were on a train to the Golden State.
Ultimately, on Dec. 26, 1873, Berry and his group of 26 bought 200 acres of Rancho San Pasqual at $10 an acre. The land is near what is now the intersection of South Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard. Here the colonists planted grain, grapevines, citrus trees and flower gardens. They selected the name “Pasadena,” which in Chippewa means “Crown of the Valley.”
By 1880, a general store was built at the intersection of Fair Oaks and Colorado. Several other businesses followed, establishing a business district that survives today - called “Old Pasadena.”
Today, when I return to my Pasadena birthplace, my first touchstone is Old Pasadena. It’s a 20-block historic area known as a trendy getaway for shoppers and diners where you can enjoy a stroll down quaint alleyways and duck into one of the European-style piazzas. The area is filled with renovated turn-of-the-century buildings and warehouses which offer more than 130 dazzling retail stores, art galleries, boutiques, antique shops, elegant restaurants, bistros and more.
No Southern California city is more generous than Pasadena in sharing its wonders with residents and visitors. If you go, plan to spend a day or more to see some of the Crown City’s sparkling treasures.
The Free Art Buses offer the best way to get around and give you a bird’s-eye view of a few treasures. They run every 10 minutes and stop every other block along Colorado, Green Street and Lake Avenue, and you can hop off and on as often as you want. They go by the renowned Norton Simon Art Museum. The Gamble House is recognized as a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement and was recently featured on the TV show “America’s Castles.” Also on the bus route is the 84-year-old Pasadena Community Playhouse, which trained many Hollywood stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Sally Struthers, Raymond Burr and others. It remains a favorite for performers and theater-goers. A block away is the Pacific Asia Museum, listed in the National Register of Historic Buildings; it includes an art gallery, a research library and one of the only two authentic Chinese Gardens in the United States.
So whether it’s upscale shopping, culture, architecture, entertainment or gourmet cuisine, Pasadena offers some of the world’s finest.
This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Rose parade
Rose Parade tickets and parking: Grandstand Seating, the largest seating and parking firm (with seats for more than 70,000), for over 40 years is Sharp Seating. If you’re a camera bug, get seats on the east or south side of the street so the sun’s at your back. Phone: (626) 795-4171; Web, www.sharpseating.com Tournament of Roses Family Fanfest, Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Dec. 31, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The four days of fun and entertainment takes place in the Arroyo area surrounding the Rose Bowl. Passport tickets are $10 and can be purchased on site. Activities include:
Float Decorating Sites: Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Watch hundreds of antlike workers swarm over the floats, painstakingly pasting each petal on to a color-coded place, while other volunteers place the more fragile roses, orchids and gardenias in individual vials. You’ll learn that the iris of an eye is a peeled onion, and more. It’s awesome. Admission with passport. Passport required.
Chili Cook-Off: Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come join the fun and become a taster from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.
Equestfest, Saturday and Dec. 30, 1 to 4 p.m. Some of America’s most talented high school marching bands perform colorful field shows; it’s a sell-out each year. Admission: $5 per person.
Rose Bowl Kickoff Luncheon: Dec. 31, 11:30 a.m. Appearing will be Rose Bowl athletes and coaches, Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal Tom Brokaw, and the Rose Queen and Royal Court. With a pep rally and more. Tickets: $45 per person, available through Ticketmaster.
Post-Parade: Get a close-up view of all the Rose Parade floats immediately following the parade in northeast Pasadena at the end of the parade route. Tickets: $4 per person. The floats will remain on display Jan. 2-3.
For additional information: pre-recorded 24-hour information line, (626) 449-ROSE. Web site, www.rosebowl.com. Holiday Hotline (626-793-9911) operates Dec. 28 through Jan. 1.