Finally, dawn broke and the parade route started to light up |
Parade organizers request attendees to be in their seats by 6:30 AM, mainly because of the sheer volume of people who turn up. We arrived by 6:00 AM- it was quite cold, 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) so it was rather chilly! We sat in the viewing stands, waiting for sunrise and observing the massive crowds settle into position along the route. I was seated at 90 S Orange Grove, which is the very beginning of the parade, just before it turn onto Colorado Boulevard.
I love the Rose Parade- the beautiful flowers that cover all the floats are a remarkable sight to see. I also love seeing marching bands and hearing their music too. When our float finally came into view, it was truly exciting. You see, working at Natural Balance is not just a regular job. We have FUN. We love animals and find ways to express that through our brand. Our Rose Parade float is a great example of that. Our float features the world famous Tillman and gang- who can all skateboard, snow board, and surf. This year they were skim boarding, while in another part of the float a group of Dock Diving Dogs were jumping into a heated pool and having a blast.
As the float approached, this is the front view! |
This photo is from the LA Times of our Dock Diving Pool |
Be sure to click on this photo below to biggify it!
Side view of our float. In the center is the massive pool, to the right is the skim boarding area! |
Rear view of the Natural Balance float |
The official certificate! |
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As I mentioned earlier, our float was certified by the Guinness World Records as the Heaviest parade float in history. Weighing in at 84,300 pounds, all the water in the heated pool (not to mention the 14 dogs) made for a record-breaking float! It was made by Fiesta Parade Floats, the best float makers in the business!
If you were not able to see the Rose Parade, the clips below had coverage of the Natural Balance float. First ABC:
And here is the clip from KTLA- our float is right around the 4:00 minute mark:
And here are a few other floats I saw that caught my eye for some reason or other:
Look closely on top of the coach- POODLES! |
This guy was doing some fancy rope tricks on his horse! |
My favorite: The Ronald Reagan Foundation Float! |
Kaiser Permanente (health insurance) had a neat float |
Namco, the makers of Pac Man video game! |
Cunard Cruise Line- this one is for Bee! |
Rose Bowl team University of Wisconsin |
Rose Bowl team TCU, Texas Christian University |
US Bank, I just liked this one for some reason. |
Warner Bros Float- you can see Sponge Bob! |
The whole experience was a lot of fun, and I was so proud of my company's float. It felt great to see first hand how well the parade viewers responded with cheers of support and applause when the Natural Balance float glided by. Those dogs sure are a hit. I can't imagine how we will top this next year, but I'm sure we will find a way!
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