WELCOME to the Victorian Roses
Ladies Riding Society’s first official blog! We are a 501c3 re-enactment
organization in San Diego, CA that incorporated in 2008. Our mission is to keep
history alive and to raise money for horse rescue. Our members are all well versed
in period-correctness and we all design and create our own Victorian Era
dresses. We make several appearances a year in parades, performances,
fundraisers and events in Southern California.
THE TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE is
one of our largest goals each year. We have been blessed to be able to ride in
it four times since our group founded and each spring we start the monumental
task of sending in our application.
The Rose Parade (RP) does not guarantee a spot for any group without an application and they like to shuffle around groups to keep the parade fresh. That said, there are several equestrian groups who regularly appear each year. Budweiser, Wells Fargo, Scripps, Valley Hunt Club (who started the parade back in 1890) and others are staples of the parade. That only leaves about 10 spots for “other” groups.
The application process is daunting but only because the parade is impeccably organized. As we write this, our RP team of graphic designers, editors, layout artists and photographers have just finished our pages and they are getting professionally printed. There will be 82 pages to pick up this year!
We thought it might be fun to shed some light on the RP application process and how WE do it, because we don’t do anything small! We add a lot of thought to the details and we hope that has attributed to the fact that we keep getting asked to return.
EARLY IN THE YEAR the new theme
will be announced on the RP website. We then schedule our first committee
meeting to discuss how we fit in the theme, who all is participating, we select
our group marshal and decide who will be assigned to do what part of the “book”
(as we call the 70+ page application).
The RP requires an application and a photo of each applicant EXACTLY how they will be appearing in the parade. Our group makes new dresses every year specifically for the parade. While this is not a requirement by the RP, we like to keep our look fresh in the application. We have deadlines in April for when the new costume must be completed and then we schedule photo shoots. When our group was new, we hired a professional photographer for the photo shoots. Today we are lucky to have talented photographers in our group that offer their services. Not only are individual photos required, so is a video.
The 2017 RP theme is “Echoes of Success”. It is highlighting people that help others. We decided that we are a good candidate for this theme due to our dedication to community service. So, highlighting what we do became one of the “chapters” of our “book”.
AROUND MARCH the actual equestrian application becomes available online. This year our group has 22 applicants: 4 outwalkers (which are ground, support crew that will be walking the parade), 2 carriage drivers, 5 carriage passengers and 11 riders. It is our largest group yet. One of our RP Committee team-members is in charge of collecting the applications and keeping track of all of the alternate and support staff. The support staff for our group is just as large as the applicants. We will have grooms, our own vet, vehicle drivers (required), decorators… all names and contact info will have to go into the application. Usually some of the support staff is made up of spouses. Each truck & trailer that is brought into staging will be required to leave as soon as our group departs for the parade and the vehicles are driven to the end of the parade route to pick us up. Having a support staff is imperative and we literally could not do the parade without their help! This set of applications with coordinating photos becomes another “chapter” in our “book”.
A
PERFORMANCE at Equestfest is part of the package deal for riding in the RP. In
our early years, our group was strictly a parade group and the thought of a
performance in front of a few thousand people in a gynormous indoor arena
pretty much terrified us. Thanks to this requirement, our group has branched
out into performances and now we are a much more well rounded group. Photos and
video of previous performances is not specifically a requirement for the
application, but it significantly helps. The RP does ask for a written
description of the planned routine as well as a script. Performances is yet
another chapter that we include.
PARADE EXPERIENCE is also a requirement. The application asks for a list of parades that the group has done over the last two years. Any awards won should also be included. The parade script is put into this chapter as well as several pages of photos of our group in parades.
THE PORTAL is the last chapter in our book. After all applications and support staff info is collected and when the book is nearing completion, it’s time to input all data into the RP Portal. Much of what is in the application will be entered online using a special link that the RP website provides. The process of entering data can easily take a couple of hours and once completed, the pages will need to be printed and added to the book.
THE BOOK ITSELF is only required to be put into a three-ring binder. But why stop there? Our group has always put a little extra effort into the presentation. Our book takes on a three-dimensional shape that reflects the theme of the parade. In 2009, the theme was Hats Off to Entertainment, so the cover to our binder was an actual Victorian hat and the whole thing was nestled in a hatbox. We were accepted that year! In 2011, the theme was a Cut Above the Rest. Our book was the bottom of a real sewing box with scissors and thread on the cover. The sewing box had our name embroidered on the top.
We were accepted that year as well. Each year we wrack our brains for what the actual book will look like. This year, with Echoes of Success, our book is a trophy with roses in the cup on top. It’s gotten to the point that the RP calls US each year and asks us to apply. They look forward to the book and it is usually displayed for a year in the Wrigley Mansion, which is RP headquarters. Sadly, once the application is sent off, it isn’t returned so we rarely see our work again.
The whole kit
and caboodle is due around the end of May or beginning of June. Sometimes we
mail the application and sometimes we drive it to the mansion. Living only 2.5
hours away is a bonus! Sometime in August we will hear an answer to the
application. If it’s a YES, then the work really begins! A ton more info
including insurance and vehicle lengths/plate numbers will need to get turned
in; We will start rehearsals for Equestfest; Our marshal is required to attend
a fall meeting at the mansion; We have fundraisers to help cover the cost; We
will need to make horse & human reservations in LA and gather all of our
stall décor and handouts…. It’s endless. But it’s worth it when we round the
corner of Orange and Colorado Blvd and enter the “coliseum”. The bleachers and
media towers are so high that it gives the feel of a stadium. Everyone is
perfectly orchestrated and the overwhelming feeling of “America’s Parade” is
sheer love and excitement and it is the reason we keep applying.
For more info about the Rose Parade, wikipedia has a pretty good description. We are even mentioned on it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Parade
Margarita Rose
Co-Founder and
Co-President
