Burbank to hold Rose Parade float ‘deconstruction’ party

All good things must come to an end -- or in this case, be destroyed.

Burbank is one a few cities that rely almost entirely on volunteers to build its Rose Parade float. The less glamorous job of dismantling the float after the New Year's Day parade is also done by volunteers, so organizers over the years have come up with incentives to attract volunteers to help tear it apart: a party and little bit of money.

Burbank Rose Float Assn. Vice President Steven Edward said he sprinkled a "large handful" of coins along the bed of the 45-foot-long float as extra motivation for those who volunteer to help break apart the float on Saturday.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

"It just makes the day a little more interesting in a kind of unique and creative way," Edward said. "I had been saving coins for several weeks."

The deconstruction party tradition spans back two decades, when float organizers found themselves -- in small numbers -- still taking apart the float well into March.

"We said, 'Why don't we throw a party? Maybe we can do this in a day,' " Edward recalled.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

Between 80 and 100 people are expected to participate in breaking down "Deep Sea Adventures," which won the award for best display of fantasy and imagination. And Edward has a task for every last volunteer — flower buckets need washing, 12,000 roses need to be pulled out with each individual vial needing disinfecting, and the float's foam base needs to be broken down and trashed.

"It's a great family event," Edward said.

To volunteer, put on some old clothes and working gloves and head to the Burbank Water and Power yard at 123 West Olive Ave. on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Lunch will be served.

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Photo: The Deep Sea Adventures float from the city of Burbank makes it's way down Colorado Boulevard during the the 2013 Rose Parade. Credit: Christina House / For the Times

40 people arrested during Rose Parade, Bowl

Forty people were arrested for their conduct at the 2013 Rose Parade or Rose Bowl game, according to Pasadena police. All but two of the people were arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public.

Twenty-three people were arrested along the parade route from 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to the end of the proceedings, according to Pasadena police Lt. Bruce George.  One of the 23 was arrested on suspicion of possessing burglary tools.

At the Rose Bowl game, 17 were arrested, including one person on suspicion of intruding on the playing field immediately after the game.

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Photo: Rose Bowl file photo.  Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Rose Parade: Not too late to see the floats

Missed the Rose Parade? No problem.

The floats will be on display Wednesday along Sierra Madre Boulevard between Paloma Street and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue and along Washington Boulevard between Sierra Madre and Woodlyn Road.

The floats will be on display until 5 p.m. Wednesday. Admission is $10, free for children 5 and younger.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

Some of the floats to look for include:

No. 2: American Honda's "Follow Your Dreams" is the lead float in the parade, reflecting this year's theme, "Oh, The Places You'll Go." The 100-foot-long vehicle consists of three islands that display features inspired by Dr. Seuss to illustrate a child's imagination and dreams, and the fun to be had there. [Graphic]

No. 45: China Airlines' float features a pagoda towering three stories tall.

Rose Parade 2013: List of float award winners

No. 62: City of San Gabriel's float honoring the centennial anniversary, "Celebrating Our Journey." The float, which won the Director's Trophy honoring outstanding artistic merit in design and floral presentation, was built by Charles Meier's Paradiso Parade Floats, the Rose Parade's first new professional float builder in nearly two decades. Meier was profiled in The Times.

No. 66: Natural Balance Pet Foods' "Canines With Courage," celebrating decades of service by U.S. military working dogs trained to sniff out booby traps, deliver messages and track enemies.

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Photo: People visit Pasadena to see the decorated floats from 124th annual Rose Parade displayed on Sierra Madre Blvd. on Wednesday morning. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Soldier reunited with family in Rose Parade's most surprising moment

The 124th Rose Parade provided a surprisingly emotional moment –- and a joyous family reunion.

Miriam Pazz was snapping photos of a float honoring military dogs for her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Pazz, who she thought was in Afghanistan, when the float came to an abrupt halt and he stepped off the platform in combat boots and camouflage.

Spectators gave a boisterous standing ovation as 4-year-old Eric Pazz II dashed from the sidewalk and into his father’s arms in the middle of Colorado Boulevard. A minute later, the family locked in a warm embrace seen by hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

In an interview, Pazz said he was all but unaware of the applause and commotion in the nearby grandstands.

“All I wanted to do was hold my wife and son and tell them I love them,” Pazz said shortly after the parade ended Tuesday morning. “I was lost in the moment. There was nothing going on in the world except on the ground my family was standing on.”

Moments later, the entire family boarded the float titled “Canines with Courage and sponsored by Natural Balance Pet Foods, and tooling along the parade route as premier guests.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

Just a block down the parade route, Eric II looked at his father and wondered aloud: “Does this mean you are home, Dad?”

Pazz said, “Well, son, we’ll talk about that later.”

The reunion “has been in the works for [about six months] and took an enormous amount of preparation and coordination with the military and parade officials,” Daniel Bernstein, a spokesman for Natural Balance Pet Foods.

Pazz is scheduled to return to Afghanistan later this week.

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Rose Parade 2013: Newbie pro float builder wins Director's Trophy

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.

The Rose Parade's first new professional float builder in nearly two decades won the Director's Trophy Tuesday.

Charles Meier's float for the city of San Gabriel's centennial anniversary, "Celebrating Our Journey,"  featured mission bells, dancers, nodding oxen and woven baskets overflowing in grapes. The Director's Trophy honors outstanding artistic merit in design and floral presentation.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

Meier, 34, was recently profiled in The Times. Meier broke into the float-building business with his Paradiso Parade Floats firm when a smaller company went out of business. For decades, three companies -- Phoenix, Fiesta and Artistic Entertainment Services -- have dominated the local float-building business. Last year, the three firms combined built 38 of the 44 floats.

As a newcomer, Meier was at a disadvantage in trying to drum up clients. He waited for months waiting to hear back from possible customers. He didn't have a contract despite cold calls to 90 prospective clients.

Rose Parade 2013: List of float award winners

Meier's business partners were thinking about moving on when Meier finally got the call back from San Gabriel.

He still keeps the voicemail from the city, telling him that he was hired.

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Photo: Volunteers help with the City of San Gabriel float at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. Credit: Christina House / For The Times

An earlier version of this post listed Charles Meier's first name as Chris.

Rose Parade 2013: Siberian throat singer can't be heard — again

Throat singer Kongar-ool Ondar from Tuva, the tiny region of Siberia just outside of Outer Mongolia, was supposed to have been singing out in three-part harmony — by himself — atop a horse equipped with a stereo amplifier in Tuesday's Rose Parade.

The sound equipment was designed to prevent a repeat of his first appearance in 1993, when Ondar, singing without amplification, couldn't be heard over the din of the crowd.

Unfortunately, for reasons not immediately clear, Ondar was silent as he and two bare-chested dancers dubbed Flying Eagles of Tuva exchanged waves and smiles with fans shortly after the start of the parade on the KTLA-TV (Channel 5) broadcast.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

 It was a sad, silent echo of what happened two decades ago, when the throat-singing horsemen were drowned out during the 1993 Rose Parade by a high school band.

Just before this year's parade, Ondar spokesman Ralph Leighton told The Times that "this time, Ondar will be microphoned so that fans along the parade route can hear him singing multiple notes simultaneously."

According to a 1992 Times article, Tuvans are members of a small band of nomadic Asians who live in southern Siberia and are known for their unusual ability to sing two or more notes at once.

READER PHOTOS: Submit your parade photos

Material provided by the Rose Parade describe Ondar and the Eagles of Tuva as hailing from the region once known as Tannu Tuva.

"The group was formed specially for this year's theme, 'Oh, the places you'll go!', as Tuva is one of the most remote and exotic lands on Earth. In an area the size of North Dakota are not just sheep, goats, and cattle, but camels, yaks, and reindeer -- all of them herded by cowboys who can routinely sing two notes at once, as Ondar will do in the parade," parade literature said.

Ondar was dressed as a khan and rode a white quarterhorse that was outfitted with a sound system, while his companions wore traditional, spare Tuvan wrestling costumes.

Ondar appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 1999.

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Photo: Kongar-ool Ondar waves to the crowd along Colorado Boulevard, but did not sing. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

After Rose Parade 2013, where and when to see floats

Following the parade, floats will be on display along Sierra Madre Boulevard between Paloma Street and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue and along Washington Boulevard between Sierra Madre and Woodlyn Road.

Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday; 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday for disabled and senior citizens; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday for everyone. Admission is $10, free for children 5 and younger.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

Some floats to keep an eye on:

No. 2: American Honda's "Follow Your Dreams" is the lead float in the parade, reflecting this year's theme, "Oh, The Places You'll Go." The 100-foot-long vehicle consists of three islands that display features inspired by Dr. Seuss to illustrate a child's imagination and dreams, and the fun to be had there. [Graphic]

No. 45: China Airlines' float features a pagoda towering three stories tall.

Rose Parade 2013: List of float award winners

No. 66: Natural Balance Pet Foods' "Canines With Courage," celebrating decades of service by U.S. military working dogs trained to sniff out booby traps, deliver messages and track enemies.

No. 73: Farmers Insurance's "Love Float," featuring a Virginia couple who tied the knot in front of millions of viewers. Gerald Sapienza and Nicole Angelillo beat out three other couples vying to get married aboard the float in a national online contest. The ceremony was officiated by radio personality Sean Valentine.

No. 77: Department of Defense Korean War Anniversary. Sixty years after combat ceased in the Korean War, officials say few paid attention when the veterans of that war came home. "The Rose Parade is the heroes' welcome these veterans always deserved and never got," said Army Col. David J. Clark, who mingled with volunteers and veterans at a decorating session.

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Photo: The Dole “Dreaming of Paradise” float, which pays tribute to the beauty and bounty of the tropical paradise of Latin America, took the Sweepstakes Trophy for most beautiful entry. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Rose Parade 2013: Former princess brings daughters for 'tradition'

Keeping with tradition, Michelle Alexander brought her 2-1/2 year old and 4-month-old daughters to the Rose Parade.

The Pasadena resident has been coming to the parade since she was a little girl.

The family had made the 1.5-mile trek to the parade from their Pasadena home. Their daughters bundled up against the cold under layers of sweaters and blankets inside a double stroller.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

"It's a huge tradition in Pasadena and I'm excited to bring my youngest daughter to her first parade," Alexander said. "Hopefully they'll be a Rose princess one day."

She might know a thing or two. While she wasn't a Rose princess, she was a princess for the Arcadia float in 1996.

"I was the bad princess though," she said with a laugh. "I took off the belt and picked some roses, that's not allowed."

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

"We're so lucky to live so close to such a worldwide event," Alexander said.

For years the flowers on the floats looked unreal to Rebecca Komensky from her television in New Jersey. The colors were bright and the arrangements intricate.

On New Year's Day, she got to see them up close -- well, as close as she could get, standing on a ledge peeking over the crowd that gathered on Orange Grove Boulevard.

READER PHOTOS: Submit your parade photos

"They look super-cool," the 22-year-old college student said. "But I didn't know it could get this cold in California. I packed like I was coming for summer."

The self-described "child at heart" wore a silver cardboard hat with the words "Happy New Year" on them and fake blue plastic glasses in the shape of stars.

She made the trip with friends five days ago and was surprised at how high the grandstands were.

"You just saw them get higher and higher," Komensky said. "It's like a build-up to this day."

More than anything, Komensky was captivated by the energy, something you can't get from a television.

"There's definitely a lot of new year's energy," Komensky said. "Starting new and looking forward to making new memories in 2013."

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Photo: The Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band prepares for the 2013 Rose Parade. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Rose Parade 2013: Event never loses its charm for longtime parade-goer

After several decades of attending the Rose Parade, the event has never lost its shine for 68-year-old Douglas Wallace.

"It's kind of exciting, isn't it?" Wallace said as he watched the Stanford University marching band go by. "It's the granddaddy of all the parades."

For Wallace, the parade isn't about televised pageantry. He comes for the excitement and energy of the event.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

"It's an auspicious way to begin the year," Wallace said.

Actually, Wallace doesn't usually stay for the actual parading. He likes to come in the predawn hours for the judging of floats by the glow of street lamps.

Over the years, the parade has become something of a private pleasure, Wallace said. Typically he brings a friend, but since he arrives before 5 a.m., sometimes he ends up watching it by himself, like today.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

A group of teenagers saunter by, dancing to the marching band. Wallace cracks a smile.

"So much exuberance," Wallace said.

Wallace's parents used to schlep him to the parade as a kid, and he estimates that he's been to more than 25 parades over "many, many" decades. But something's different about this year --  "more of a party atmosphere" -- Wallace says.

"I don't know why, but it seems more festive. It seems like there are a lot more people here," said Wallace, a retired schoolteacher from Torrance.

After a year of "nothing spectacular," Wallace said he thinks people use the parade as a reason to look forward.

"I think people are looking for something more optimistic," Wallace said. "Maybe get their minds off of all the economic gridlock," Wallace said, referring to the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.

If anything, Wallace said, the parade is always a good workout.

"I parked two miles from here," Wallace said. "It's getting longer every year."

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Photo: Dancers entertain the crowd alongside the Kaiser Permanente's 'Oh, The Healthy Things You Can Do!' float during the the 2013 Rose Parade. Credit: Christina House / For the Times

Rose Parade 2013: Thousands gather for New Year's celebration

The 124th Rose Parade in Pasadena kicked off on a cloudy and cold New Year’s Day with the elaborate Dr. Seuss-themed float “Follow Your Dreams.”

The float -- heralding this year's theme, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"  -- contained 20,000 individual blossoms and more than 5,000 roses.

As the parade moved along Colorado Boulevard, among the crowd estimated at nearly 1 million, parade officials dressed in white, head to toe, zipped around in white scooters, and buses occasionally rolled through, escorted by police.

PHOTOS: 2013 Rose Parade

"Awesome!" yelled a tightly bundled Diego Estrada, 6, pointing to the Goodyear blimp as it floated by.

The sun rose to cloudy skies and a scene of joyous chaos at the intersection of Orange Grove and Del Mar boulevards. Parade-goers donned jester hats with bells, neon-pink bunny ears with flashing lights, and plain-old knit beanies against the cold. Nearby, Dole's volcano float shot plumes of flame into tha air and blared mariachi music.

Azalea Tauer, 36, of Temple City, padded with six layers of clothing and a wool scarf, had a fire blazing nearby in a small charcoal barbecue she brought. Her family spent the night angling for a spot for the first time.

FULL COVERAGE: 2013 Rose Parade

"I woke up at 6:30 this morning," she begins to say, and realizes she's more than 24 hours off; that was yesterday. "It just feels like one long day to me," she said.

Meanwhile, Costa Rican folk dancers and Salvadoran band members prepared to join the parade.

Despite weeks of practice, 15-year-old Julissa Blanco, of the Alma Tica dancing troupe, was nervous. "I'm really excited, though," Julissa said, her eye shadow nearly matching the light purple flower in her hair.

READER PHOTOS: Submit your parade photos

Band members from El Salvador, who traveled by bus over four days to participate in the parade, stopped by to snap a picture.