Wonder what it's like to come and decorate the City of Torrance float?
Behind the Scenes of the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade
American Rose Society Members experience what goes into decorating and cheering for a float in the most famous rose parade in the world
Every January 1st, beautifully decorated floats adorned with hundreds of thousands of fresh blooms make their way along with marching bands, dignitaries and equestrian units to be part of a tradition that is over 129 years old, the Tournament of Roses Parade. As part of the American Rose Society’s 125th Birthday Celebration, ARS members came from around the country to decorate the City of Torrance Rose Float and watch President Pat Shanley, and Executive Director Laura Seabaugh ride on the float in front of a worldwide audience of millions of people.
American Rose asked our members to share their experience with our readers. Here is their story, in their own words, that describes the fun of going to Southern California during Decorating Week.
Manning: We have traveled the world and have seen and done many wondrous things, but this was a very unique opportunity that was different from anything we have ever experienced.
Elisabeth: Attending the Rose Parade has always been a bucket list item for me. The opportunity to volunteer and decorate a float was an added bonus.
Patti: Everyone I told just flipped out when I said we were helping to decorate a float. A lot of people lived vicariously through us that week.
Diane: I celebrated my 60th birthday in December. I take a “big” vacation on my “decade” birthdays and I look for new experiences. When I saw this opportunity early this year in American Rose, I knew that I had to participate.
Douglas: I always wanted to see the Rose Parade Live. My father was there in 1932 and talked about it all of his life.
Diane: I didn’t know what to expect. I was overwhelmed by seeing all of the floats being prepared in the barn. From the Queen’s Float to major floats such as Dole and Miracle-Gro, it was a hive of activity. And, the beautiful City of Torrance float was nearing completion. The huge amount of floral and plant materials that were being transformed was impressive!
Franka: When you watch the parade on TV, intellectually, you know that the floats were covered with flowers, but you don t get a sense of the attention to detail that you get when you are able to see the process up close. Each decorator was so dedicated and engrossed in their task...even adding dried peas with tweezers.
Georgie: The aroma of fresh flowers was all around us. Then, there was a delight of all of the different colors. There were colors everywhere. Then I spotted the trolleys with fresh flowers on them. Tray, after tray, after tray of fresh flowers and foliage. It was really an exciting experience for a rosarian.
Maggie: I was happily overwhelmed by the sweet smell of flowers and greenery. I twirled in happiness as I walked through the barn to see how pieces of the floats were created and see the progress.
Renee: The float was unbelievable - I loved that it was designed by a high school student and the nature concept was great.
Douglas: Yes, it was absolutely amazing that some 17-year old person could design this and that some float builder could build it.
Manning: The interpretation of the theme was appropriate and well conceived. The use of unexpected materials (coconut, black onion seeds, and rice) was such fun to discover and explore.
Gail: I thought the float was beautiful. I liked the butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonfly, and squirrel on the float. The roses were a beautiful color. The egrets were spectacular and highlighted the float.
Diane: The soaring egrets and other representations of the Madrona Marsh Preserve were impressive. The plant materials used on the animals were varied and the colors were well matched. I also love that the Torrance Rose Float Association (TRFA) has rose vials that can be purchased and dedicated as a tribute to someone, with these vials being placed on the float.
Gail: The most special thing I did was to place the rose in honor of my mother on the float.
Patti: As American Rose Society and Houston Rose Society members, Dan and I were thrilled to actually get to place roses on the float. Mine was in a spot under the butterfly and I was able to tell people where to look, and Dan's were along and near the top of the front egret- also easy to point out.
Shirley: We got to cut straw flowers, put flowers in picks and glued moss onto our float.
Collette: I was very proud that I got to work on such a beautiful float. I cried because it was the fulfillment of a dream.
Renee: At the float judging, the experience gave me chills and I loved how the crowd was cheering for us.
Diane: When the butterfly wings started moving, I felt a sense of relief and awe at the technical expertise needed to assemble the floats.
Bobbi: I loved the music! Kirby and I both were so proud—and thought it was the most beautiful float.
Georgie: When the float rounded the corner at the Rose Parade and we knew it was ours, I stood up to yell. Some guy in the next section told me to sit down, he couldn’t see. I said to him, “That is our float, and our friends are on it.” He didn’t say another word.
Shirley: I thought that most people watching had no idea of the work that went into making the float.
Elisabeth: When we saw the City of Torrance float, we thought it was one of the most beautiful and colorful floats. We were excited and thought the Mayor’s Award was deserved.
Collette: I think the Mayor's Trophy was a great honor.
Kirby: We were excited that we saw our float being shared with the world. We were glad that all our friends could see how beautiful it was.
Collette: I stood up and cheered loudly shouting A-R-S! A-R-S! A-R-S! Laura Seabaugh was on the float and she heard me and waved! I was telling everyone around me that was the float I worked on.
Manning: We shared this information with everyone sitting around us...whether they were interested or not.
Elisabeth: Both Pat and Laura did a great job representing ARS on the float. I am proud to be a member.
Patti: When we watched the float go down Colorado Blvd, accented by the quintessential view of the Norton Simon Museum and logo in the background, I cried.
Shirley: I would like to say that no matter how much you think you know about putting these floats together, you really have no idea how much work is involved until you work on one. It takes a lot of time to snip straw flowers down small enough to be used as flowers and butterflies. Then the time and energy spent taking off the petals because they were the wrong color and then putting back on the correct color. I watched a woman put the fine tuning on the face of a tiger, the eyelashes and hair fringe around the face. I thought it had looked good before she started. It took her hours to do all the work and I’ll admit it looked beautiful when she finished. However, the millions watching weren't even given a close up of it.
Franka: I know everyone will say it was the experience of a lifetime...but it really was. I thought it was wonderful to be able to see the judging with the animation and fireworks before the general public was able to see it.
Thanks to the American Rose Society members for contributing to this article and for coming to be a part of our Rose Parade Experience! Dale Avers; Georgie Bever; Douglas, Jane and Andrew Carlson; Franka and Manning Correia; Renee Cummins; Elisabeth and David Eickhoff; Gaye Hammond; Gail and Gordy Holmes; Tom Keilers; Susan Kelly; Kirby and Bobbi Lane; Patti and Dan Lawlor; Shirley and Galt Morgan, Collette and Bob Morton; Patrice Nightingale; Gloria and Ben Tobor; Maggie and Carlos Zamora. Thanks to John DelVecchio and Alan Seabaugh for making it possible for Pat Shanley and Laura Seabaugh to ride the City of Torrance Float.
American Rose Society Members experience what goes into decorating and cheering for a float in the most famous rose parade in the world
Every January 1st, beautifully decorated floats adorned with hundreds of thousands of fresh blooms make their way along with marching bands, dignitaries and equestrian units to be part of a tradition that is over 129 years old, the Tournament of Roses Parade. As part of the American Rose Society’s 125th Birthday Celebration, ARS members came from around the country to decorate the City of Torrance Rose Float and watch President Pat Shanley, and Executive Director Laura Seabaugh ride on the float in front of a worldwide audience of millions of people.
American Rose asked our members to share their experience with our readers. Here is their story, in their own words, that describes the fun of going to Southern California during Decorating Week.
Manning: We have traveled the world and have seen and done many wondrous things, but this was a very unique opportunity that was different from anything we have ever experienced.
Elisabeth: Attending the Rose Parade has always been a bucket list item for me. The opportunity to volunteer and decorate a float was an added bonus.
Patti: Everyone I told just flipped out when I said we were helping to decorate a float. A lot of people lived vicariously through us that week.
Diane: I celebrated my 60th birthday in December. I take a “big” vacation on my “decade” birthdays and I look for new experiences. When I saw this opportunity early this year in American Rose, I knew that I had to participate.
Douglas: I always wanted to see the Rose Parade Live. My father was there in 1932 and talked about it all of his life.
Diane: I didn’t know what to expect. I was overwhelmed by seeing all of the floats being prepared in the barn. From the Queen’s Float to major floats such as Dole and Miracle-Gro, it was a hive of activity. And, the beautiful City of Torrance float was nearing completion. The huge amount of floral and plant materials that were being transformed was impressive!
Franka: When you watch the parade on TV, intellectually, you know that the floats were covered with flowers, but you don t get a sense of the attention to detail that you get when you are able to see the process up close. Each decorator was so dedicated and engrossed in their task...even adding dried peas with tweezers.
Georgie: The aroma of fresh flowers was all around us. Then, there was a delight of all of the different colors. There were colors everywhere. Then I spotted the trolleys with fresh flowers on them. Tray, after tray, after tray of fresh flowers and foliage. It was really an exciting experience for a rosarian.
Maggie: I was happily overwhelmed by the sweet smell of flowers and greenery. I twirled in happiness as I walked through the barn to see how pieces of the floats were created and see the progress.
Renee: The float was unbelievable - I loved that it was designed by a high school student and the nature concept was great.
Douglas: Yes, it was absolutely amazing that some 17-year old person could design this and that some float builder could build it.
Manning: The interpretation of the theme was appropriate and well conceived. The use of unexpected materials (coconut, black onion seeds, and rice) was such fun to discover and explore.
Gail: I thought the float was beautiful. I liked the butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonfly, and squirrel on the float. The roses were a beautiful color. The egrets were spectacular and highlighted the float.
Diane: The soaring egrets and other representations of the Madrona Marsh Preserve were impressive. The plant materials used on the animals were varied and the colors were well matched. I also love that the Torrance Rose Float Association (TRFA) has rose vials that can be purchased and dedicated as a tribute to someone, with these vials being placed on the float.
Gail: The most special thing I did was to place the rose in honor of my mother on the float.
Patti: As American Rose Society and Houston Rose Society members, Dan and I were thrilled to actually get to place roses on the float. Mine was in a spot under the butterfly and I was able to tell people where to look, and Dan's were along and near the top of the front egret- also easy to point out.
Shirley: We got to cut straw flowers, put flowers in picks and glued moss onto our float.
Collette: I was very proud that I got to work on such a beautiful float. I cried because it was the fulfillment of a dream.
Renee: At the float judging, the experience gave me chills and I loved how the crowd was cheering for us.
Diane: When the butterfly wings started moving, I felt a sense of relief and awe at the technical expertise needed to assemble the floats.
Bobbi: I loved the music! Kirby and I both were so proud—and thought it was the most beautiful float.
Georgie: When the float rounded the corner at the Rose Parade and we knew it was ours, I stood up to yell. Some guy in the next section told me to sit down, he couldn’t see. I said to him, “That is our float, and our friends are on it.” He didn’t say another word.
Shirley: I thought that most people watching had no idea of the work that went into making the float.
Elisabeth: When we saw the City of Torrance float, we thought it was one of the most beautiful and colorful floats. We were excited and thought the Mayor’s Award was deserved.
Collette: I think the Mayor's Trophy was a great honor.
Kirby: We were excited that we saw our float being shared with the world. We were glad that all our friends could see how beautiful it was.
Collette: I stood up and cheered loudly shouting A-R-S! A-R-S! A-R-S! Laura Seabaugh was on the float and she heard me and waved! I was telling everyone around me that was the float I worked on.
Manning: We shared this information with everyone sitting around us...whether they were interested or not.
Elisabeth: Both Pat and Laura did a great job representing ARS on the float. I am proud to be a member.
Patti: When we watched the float go down Colorado Blvd, accented by the quintessential view of the Norton Simon Museum and logo in the background, I cried.
Shirley: I would like to say that no matter how much you think you know about putting these floats together, you really have no idea how much work is involved until you work on one. It takes a lot of time to snip straw flowers down small enough to be used as flowers and butterflies. Then the time and energy spent taking off the petals because they were the wrong color and then putting back on the correct color. I watched a woman put the fine tuning on the face of a tiger, the eyelashes and hair fringe around the face. I thought it had looked good before she started. It took her hours to do all the work and I’ll admit it looked beautiful when she finished. However, the millions watching weren't even given a close up of it.
Franka: I know everyone will say it was the experience of a lifetime...but it really was. I thought it was wonderful to be able to see the judging with the animation and fireworks before the general public was able to see it.
Thanks to the American Rose Society members for contributing to this article and for coming to be a part of our Rose Parade Experience! Dale Avers; Georgie Bever; Douglas, Jane and Andrew Carlson; Franka and Manning Correia; Renee Cummins; Elisabeth and David Eickhoff; Gaye Hammond; Gail and Gordy Holmes; Tom Keilers; Susan Kelly; Kirby and Bobbi Lane; Patti and Dan Lawlor; Shirley and Galt Morgan, Collette and Bob Morton; Patrice Nightingale; Gloria and Ben Tobor; Maggie and Carlos Zamora. Thanks to John DelVecchio and Alan Seabaugh for making it possible for Pat Shanley and Laura Seabaugh to ride the City of Torrance Float.