Cal Poly Pomona’s affiliation with the Tournament of Roses goes back more than 60 years, when the first student-built float made its way down Colorado Boulevard. The relationship continues this month when the 2010 Royal Court visits campus.

The Rose Float Queen & Court luncheon will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch. Tickets are $18, and the deadline to RSVP is Oct. 21. Reservation requests should be sent to bnsumida@cpp.edu.

The seven newly selected members of the court will introduce
themselves and share their backgrounds. They are: Katherine Hernandez,
a Pasadena resident who attends Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy;
Natalie Innocenzi, an Arcadia resident and senior at Flintridge Sacred
Heart Academy; June Ko, a senior at Arcadia High School; Lauren Rogers,
an Altadena resident and senior at Blair High School in Pasadena;
Kinsey Stuart, a South Pasadena resident who is studying psychology in
her first year at Pasadena City College; Ashley Thaxton, an Altadena
resident who attends John Marshall Fundamental High School; and
Michelle Van Wyk, a senior at La Canada High School. One of the seven
will be named queen on Oct. 20.

“The luncheon is a great chance to meet the court, and the event
unofficially kicks off the busy season for the float-building teams at
Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,” says Johnathan Jianu, a
member of the Rose Float Club.

The club and its counterpart at San Luis Obispo jointly build the
Cal Poly Universities entry in the Rose Parade. On Saturday, Oct. 24,
the team from San Luis Obispo is scheduled to haul its half of the
float structure to Pomona, where it will be joined with the other half,
bringing “Jungle Cuts” to life. Over the next two months, the teams
will fine-tune, troubleshoot and take on unexpected challenges to
ensure that the float is ready for its close-up on New Year’s Day. The
final step, attaching all the colorful floral and other natural
elements, takes place in the final days and hours leading up to the
parade.

Playing off the parade’s theme, “2010: A Cut Above the Rest,” the
float will feature an animated jungle barbershop with monkeys cutting
other animals’ hair.

“It’s an ambitious design, and the Rose Float clubs are looking
forward to doing it justice,” Jianu says. “We’ll no doubt put in some
long hours, but it’s going to be a great experience and a lot of fun.”

Over the years, Cal Poly floats have received 46 awards, including nine Founder’s trophies for the best volunteer-built entry.

To learn more about the Rose Float project or to become a volunteer, visit www.cpprosefloat.org.