Epic, iconic, splashy or controversial, take your pick from among 135 years of Rose Parade breakout moments. Mostly fun, many emotional, instances that made a splash or impressed the crowds are as numerous as, say, the flowers used on all the floats in a year (3.2 million, thank you very much).
Eagerly anticipated this year is an appearance by the El Segundo Little League on the DirecTV float after the team won the 2023 Little League World Series. And since this year’s theme is all about celebrating music, what about those musical numbers that punctuate the parade? Do images of the famed Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses still amble through your brain come New Year’s Day?
More than 130 years of parade history will yield a lot of highlights, and everyone has their favorites, but here are 17 of those bazillion moments that stood stand out:
1. Righting a wrong: Joan Williams was a 27-year-old account clerk in 1957 when someone nominated her to represent Pasadena city employees on its float. Once her African American heritage came to light, Williams was told there were too many floats and her turn on the stage was scrapped. In 2015, 60 years and one official apology later, Williams, age 82, sat in front of the banner float of the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade.
2. The roar of the crowd, the sweetest music: Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said he wanted to use his 2014 turn as grand marshal of the 125th Rose Parade to thank his fans. But they lavished love on the then-85-year-old when he and his wife Sandi rode down Colorado Boulevard on a 1950 Olds 98. Scully later told R. Scott Jenkins, that year’s Tournament president, that he had “never, never had a day like this.” Scully died in 2022 at age 94, after 67 summers celebrating all things Dodgers.
Vin Scully treasured the roar of the crowd as grand marshal of Rose Parade, Rose Bowl
3. Saying goodbye — on air: Watching Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards announce…
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