Rose Parade - Behind the Scenes

 Another wonderful Rose Parade is done, and we are still glowing from all the excitement.  Have you ever wondered what happens in the 12 hours before the parade even starts?






Velvet Rose and Margarita Rose, club presidents, spend countless hours coordinating the week long events before the actual parade, right up to when we step on to the parade route.
         
Here is a time line of events just for that one special morning. During the week or two before, horses are given haircuts and are re-shod in special shoes, unless they are walking barefoot.

The horses are bathed generally the day before, especially when they decide to do this at the last minute! Stinky got his parade bath, and was as good as new. 

The evening before the parade, all RVs, horse trailers, campers and trucks meet up in one long caravan for the drive up to Pasadena.  There were stops where we pick up others along the way.  We had everyone in line by 6:30, and off we went.


We arrived in Pasadena a little after 9:00 p.m.  Our night was spent in the Pit, a closed freeway off ramp where we would set up overnight.                                  

It was very well coordinated by Parade volunteers, and we set up fairly quickly.  The  horses were tied up or penned, fed and blanketed. We set up a fire pit and we took some time to relax with family and crew.  

Mariah tucked in for the night in her zebra blanket.








Stinky and Ocho with their cozy blankets. 

We were told we needed to be in the saddle at 5:51 a.m. to be lead up to the staging area about a mile away.  This means up by 3:45 a.m. to get the horses ready, braid their manes and decorate with roses, and get ourselves ready - all in the dark!




The fresh roses were handed out to each lady, and they were beautiful!  They were made to match each of our dresses, and were placed on the horses' manes, hats and parasols.
 




















Rosita Rose's pink roses, Priscilla Rose's purple roses, and Dorado Rose's peach roses.



Each horse proudly wore their official Rose parade ribbon.










Meanwhile, the Roses who ride in the carriage were taken by golf cart to the staging area where the carriage was waiting to be decorated with beautiful swags of fern and red roses. This was on a lovely residential street which fed into the parade route. We started in the dark using the light from our cellphones, and finished as the sun was rising.   

 Below, Sioux (Coachman Rose) with her carriage dogs, Monty, Katie and Ricky.  They are ready to go!  The beautiful carriage belongs to Sioux, however, she was driving for another entry this year.

We are so lucky to have LaDonne (Grandma Rose) as our carriage driver.  

She and Luke have driven far together the last several years.

SUPPORT CREW

We would like to thank all the support crew behind the scenes.  None of this could be done without them.  All vehicles must be removed from the Pit and driven to the end of parade route and parked in the Equestrian disbanding section.  David, Dan, Bill, Sandra, Craig, Sean, Mark and Bob were our wonderful drivers.  They also helped set up and tear down our area.

We have outwalkers during the parade to help us as we go along.   A huge thank you to Lisa, Irish Rose's daughter.  She was such a great help, and carried parasols and other items as needed the entire length of the parade.

A special outwalker is Jennifer.  She stayed right by Luke from before the sun came up and walked with him as he pulled the carriage all through the parade.  They have a very special relationship, and work so well together.



 







We also have our photographer and outwalker, Jerry.   He took these photos Jerry's Photos while walking the parade.

Below, photo by Charlie R, taken from the bleachers.

Soon, the riders joined the carriage in staging, and it was "hurry up and wait".  We were number 30 in the line up, so we did not have long to wait.  Our street flowed right into the parade route, and we were placed between two beautiful floats.

Left, riders joining the carriage in the staging area.                                                                     

Right, getting Monty settled in the carriage.






Here we go!  

Special Memories:

Priscilla Rose - "While this was my 5th Rose Parade, it was my first time riding my Arabian, Mariah. We have a very special bond and I looked forward to this day for years. She exceeded my expectations, making this a parade to remember forever!"



Shenandoah Rose - "This was my first Rose Parade, and I was very honored to ride in the carriage.  It was overwhelming and beautiful. I will never forget coming around the turn onto Colorado Blvd. where all the television cameras were set up, three stories high! So many people!"





Margarita Rose - "The hardest part about being IN the parade is not getting to see very much of it. I especially wanted to see the impressive 20 Mule Team in action and finally got to at our disbanding area after the parade. We stood right by it and got front row seats as it cruised by. So massive and amazing! I love the Rose Parade for its attention to detail and impeccable organization. I am so truly blessed to have experienced it five times with my sisters and my best friend horses."



Submitted by Shenandoah Rose