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The all-volunteer South Pasadena Tournament of Roses committee kicks off its herculean fundraising efforts Saturday, May 4, 2024, with its first fundraising event of the year, a “Cuatro de Mayo” Fiesta. Featuring performances by Mariachis and colorful Folklorico dancers, tapas (appetizers) and tacos, and a silent auction, the party is open to all who want to support the City’s self-built and self-funded Tournament of Roses entry. Tickets are $60 each and can be purchased online at sptor.org.
One of six self-built floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade, South Pasadena’s 2025 entry is titled, “Seas the Day” to reflect the Rose Parade’s 2025 overall theme, “Best Day Ever…celebrating life’s special moments.”
“This is the first of many fundraisers we’ll hold this year to reach our goal of $150,000 to build and decorate the float. We hope the community will join us for a fun night for a good cause,” said Ed Donnelly, SPTOR President.
The 21-and-over event will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. on May 4, 2024, at Warren and Joan Binzley’s Toad Hill Hacienda in Glendale’s Chevy Chase Canyon. Guests will enjoy dancing, games, a scavenger hunt, a silent auction featuring tickets to sporting events along with gift certificates for restaurants, stores, and services, prizes and entertainment. Each ticket includes dinner and two drinks. Parking instructions and the address will be provided following ticket purchase. Those who want to donate items for the auction can contact long-time SPTOR member Steve Fillingham at sftballsteve@aol.com.
Fillingham, who is the event chair, said the group selected Saturday, May 4 in line with the Tournament of Roses tradition of not holding the parade on a Sunday.
He said this is the first time SPTOR has held a fundraising event at the Glendale estate and explained how it came to be.
“Warren Binzley is a former South Pasadena resident,” Fillingham said, “and the father of a friend I knew in school in 1973-74. When I got married last year, Diane [Giles] and I held our wedding at the estate.”
“Warren and his wife Joan met a lot of float [SPTOR] people at the wedding, and they fell in love with us. Warren wanted to do something for the float, and this is how the idea for a fun fundraiser at the estate evolved.”
“Warren planned all the entertainment and games,” Fillingham continued. “It is important to him that guests have the best day ever, and we are very appreciative of his generosity and creativity.”
A unique feature of the Binzley estate is a pool in which swimmers can swim underground for six-seven feet and end up in a cabana. A 35-foot statue that Binzley once displayed outside his South Pasadena home on Indiana Avenue has been relocated to the Glendale estate.
Additionally, a cherished character from South Pasadena’s 2024 float lives on the estate as well. “Gertie, the tall giraffe from the city’s prize-winning entry, ‘Boogie Fever,’ will be on display,” Fillingham shared. He is certain float-loving partygoers will appreciate seeing their beloved mascot.
