In case you are planning to attend, or occupy, the 2012 Rose Parade , you might want to take note that it’s being held on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 instead of on New Year’s Day. You don’t want to camp out a day early. The Tournament of Roses site explains the “Never on Sunday” rule the event follows:

“The Tournament of Roses is a tradition full of traditions, one of which is our “Never on Sunday” policy. In 1893, officials decided to move the parade to Monday, January 2 to avoid frightening horses tethered outside local churches and thus interfering with worship services. As a result of this reverent gesture, speculation abounds as to the rare instances of rainfall on New Year’s Day (only ten times in Rose Parade history), prompting some to ask the Tournament about its special pact with a “friend upstairs.” Also as a result of this tradition, other collegiate bowl organizations have instituted similar procedures.”

City of Burbank float 2009 by Jodi

I’m planning to check out the  Rose Parade this year, thanks to a friend who lives just off the route. Are you planning on going? If you’ve been in the past and have any tips, feel free to share in the comments.

Volunteerism

After sharing my experiences decorating floats with my daughter, I figured it would only make sense to actually show her.  The entire family packed into the car for a quick trip to the float near us in the City of South Pasadena, the oldest self-built float in the parade.

Located behind the War Memorial on Fair Oaks, the group of long-time volunteers and South Pasadena High School students pitched in on their entry into the 2009 Tournament of Roses. Since the entire float is raised up through volunteer efforts, the committee has several ways for locals to donate money.  Last night was their Crunch Time Dinner, a sort of last minute shove to get bills from this year paid off and ramp up for next year’s float.  Another little way to raise money was to give us the opportunity to get our name on the float, so to speak. For $1, we signed a vial that will hold flowers that will be placed on the float.

Walking in, we came upon a group of women who were deveining luminaria.  I spoke to one who has been volunteering for 15 years and another, Wendy Snow, who has volunteered for the last 27 years and is now on the float’s committeee. My daughter, fascinated by the project, quickly jumped in to help them and you can too.  There is still a few more hours to decorate before the float gets towed to Orange Grove Blvd.  If you’re in the area and want to experience the fun or just drop by to make a donation, they’d love to have you.

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