This afternoon I headed out to Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale, CA to check out the progress on the float building for the upcoming 125th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade which will be held Wednesday, January 1, 2014. As I have been donating time towards helping the Torrance Rose Float Association (TRFA) raise the funds needed for building the float, I figured I would go out to where the float is being built so people can get an idea of what goes into a project like this.
Fiesta Parade Floats builds award winning floats and has for several years; as such, they were actually building about 10 floats. I went a few times last year, but today had the fewest number of people on-site that I can recall. I asked one of the builders and he said that the floats are all pretty much ready for the decorating to begin; that starts the day after Christmas and must be completed by the evening of December 30 as the floats will be judged on December 31. I will go back out in a few days after the decorating has begun so you can see the difference.
The theme of this year’s Rose Parade is “Dreams Come True.” The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), which began in Torrance is a primary sponsor for Torrance’s entry to the parade this year; so you will notice a definite soccer theme with “Everyone Plays”, which is the first of AYSO Soccers Six Philosophies and the theme of the 2014 Rose Parade float. While the parade is a little more than a week away, the fundraising never stops because once this one is paid for they have to start planning for the 2015 float since this is no longer funded by the city. If you would like to donate money or time, please visit the Torrance Rose Float Association website at http://www.torrancerosefloat.com/. The Torrance Rose Float Association is a non-profit organization.
