In keeping with the “Melody of Life” theme for the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade the city of South Pasadena is entering a float called “Three Little Birds”. Volunteers were busy decorating it in a huge tent on Friday and will continue over the weekend.
If you are interested in seeing the progress of the South Pasadena float as it is decorated you can park on Fair Oaks just north of the 110 freeway exit. There is a large sign on Fair Oaks showing the location.
A follow-up after the Rose Parade. The South Pasadena float was behind the big one that broke down and sadly, the “Three Little Birds” float did not show up on the TV broadcasts of the parade.
This float is being decorated from the top down. Two women add red roses to the guitar body while a man indicates color blocks on the lower part of the float. In the initial drawing for the float the body of the guitar is shown as brown but these roses are definitely very red.
Thousands of red roses are already attached to the “drum” that will be on the float. The musical notes are covered with seeds. By the time the float is ready to roll out of the tent and uphill to the parade route in Pasadena, every visible inch of the float will be covered with natural materials.
It looks as if they are using brown-dyed pampas grass to decorate this red bird. Every inch of it will be covered with natural materials before it goes on the float and joins the parade.
This year there seem to be more tropical flowers being used on the South Pasadena Rose Parade float than in previous years.
Buckets of flowers in vibrant tropical colors were lined up outside the tent waiting for volunteers to add them to the float.
And then there are the edible materials
But it isn’t all flowers. These cauliflowers were being prepared to go onto the float.
Two volunteers preparing the yellow cauliflower while other people unload the truck filled with other additions for the South Pasadena float.
Kitty-litter is an approved material
Women attaching kitty litter to a panel that will be the sign on the front of the Three Little Birds float. I’d never thought about kitty litter being a “natural” material as required by the Tournament of Roses rules.
Once a year this huge tent rises in a park along Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena. Almost all the other floats are built and decorated way out in the barns in Irwindale and I am not sure they encourage visitors out there. On the other hand it is easy to park on Fair Oaks, just north of the 110 freeway exit and stroll over to see this float. There used to be a couple of float barns actually in Pasadena, but they have closed.
Visit my author’s site to see books I’ve published
It’s amazing what they can do with just plant material. Some of the silver accents were made with ground rice and black sesame seeds. Volunteering for self-built floats is a great way to contribute to your city.