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| The Rose Float will be moved to Pasadena on Dec. 21. Shown here is the same journey in 1999. |
If you think driving in Los Angeles traffic is tough, try doing it in a 55-foot float.
Students from the Cal Poly Universities will be taking their self-built rose float, “Guardians of Harmony,” on its long journey to Brookside Pavilion decoration center in Pasadena on Friday, Dec. 21. The float features the watchful duo of a dragon and phoenix and other traditional Chinese elements such as the Great Wall, a pagoda, cherry blossoms and carp.
Because of the float's obvious potential for traffic distraction, it is transported at night. A light-hearted christening is scheduled at 8:30 p.m. The 4-hour journey from the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Lab begins at approximately 10 p.m.
Local trucking company KKW Performance Transportation is assisting students in transporting the float through streets, highways and byways. The route is carefully chosen to ensure room for the float, which measures 50-feet long, 18-feet wide and 22-feet high. The float will travel through 11 cities including Pomona, West Covina, Temple City, Arcadia and South Pasadena before arriving at the Brookside Pavilion decoration center near the Rose Bowl Stadium.
“Guardians of Harmony” is the 60th consecutive entry into the Rose Parade by Cal Poly Pomona and San Luis Obispo students. The Cal Poly Universities project is the only Rose Parade float entry designed, constructed, decorated and financed entirely by students.
From Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, final float preparations, decorating and judging takes place at the Brookside Pavilion in Pasadena.