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It’s getting close to crunch time for South Pasadena’s float in the 133rd Rose Parade.
With only days away before the city’s entry sets sail down Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard, the number of volunteers increases as the crunch, or critical period to meet the completion deadline, is felt the most.
While time is limited to finish up the float in time for the 7:20 a.m. final award judging by Tournament of Roses officials on December 31– just hours from the 8 a.m. parade on New Year’s Day– there’s a party in town to recognize the last minute push.
It’s called – naturally – “The Crunch Time Party,” and it’s back in person this year after leaving the scene a year ago on account of COVID-19, just like the parade itself. It’s scheduled for December 29 at 6 p.m. at the War Memorial Building in South Pasadena and will include dinner by Waverly, one of the newest businesses in town, and a live auction as seating will be limited to 125. Tickets are $60 apiece.
“The South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee felt that with COVID still in the forefront of concerns, it was best to limit the capacity as well as having people show proof of being fully vaccinated,” explained Brant Dunlap, the committee’s president.
For more information and tickets for the party, contact Ellen Torres at etphonhom@aol.com. If you have an item or experience to donate, please email crunchparty@sptor.org.
The Crunch Time Party was held virtually in 2020 and raised more than $30,000 through an online auction featuring a wide variety of items. Funds raised were carried over and applied to South Pasadena’s 2022 float since the last Rose Parade was cancelled on account of COVID. This year’s 3-day online event returns and is slated from 12 a.m. December 27 to 8 p.m. December 30. To find the link and start bidding, go to SPTOR.org.
Dollars generated from “Crunch,” as organizers like to call it, help pay for steel, flowers and other materials on board the float, along with the rental fee for a giant tent where the float is constructed. All toll, says Dunlap, costs to pay for it range anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000 each year. And with prices on steel and flowers going way, way up in 2021, people like Dunlap are, well, feeling the crunch.
“Yes we are for sure,” he said “We really count on funds from the Crunch Time Party and our other fundraisers to pay for the float. We are extremely appreciative of our community for supporting us in such a big way.”
He knows it couldn’t be done, putting this year’s float – “Sky’s the Limit” – in the parade, without the generosity of others. “Our local citizens and business’s are some of the kindest most given folks in the San Gabriel Valley,” said Dunlap. “Many give to multiple organizations throughout the year often times duplicating to the same group. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful group of supporters and volunteers. There are no words that can express our gratitude other than thank you.”
A day doesn’t go by without him thinking about those who continue to make the float a key component to enhance the city’s image. “The volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization,” said Dunlap. “Without them we have nothing.”
