With little time to spare, volunteers continue to toil long hours as January 1, 2026, looms – the day South Pasadena’s float will roll down Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard in the 137th Rose Parade.
It’s all part of a long city tradition as volunteers work methodically, some giving construction support others lending a hand to the decoration side, as it takes a team approach to finish the task at hand.
The first group, often decked out in overalls wearing protective face shields and holding welders to perform work on the float’s underbelly, ensures the engine and small compartment accompanying a driver and animation operator are in good working order. Most have been at it for years, some decades.
Others are part of what’s called the “Deco Team,” short for decorations, or those mainly responsible for gluing, painting, applying natural products – seeds, bark, leaves – and countless flowers, a bulk of them roses, to ultimately unveil a stunning floral masterpiece just in time for the float’s 5.5-mile journey in front of thousands along the parade route and millions more viewing it worldwide on television.
Going from float concept to a finished product is a lengthy effort, pushed along by a hard-working, dedicated behind the scenes crew that meets monthly to tackle a myriad of projects, from float design, construction and decoration updates, to fundraising efforts, all under the guidance of South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee Chair Ed Donnelly, who has been at the helm for three years now.
Early in the year, the group comprised mainly of community members, selected “The Great Picnic Heist,” illustrated by artist Renee Hoss-Johnson, as the title for South Pasadena’s newest in a longline of floats.
The city has been at it for a while and is recognized by Tournament of Roses officials for showcasing the oldest self-built float in the parade, meaning it’s created entirely by volunteers, unlike the much larger commercially constructed on display that cost top dollar using big corporate sponsorships.
Joining South Pasadena, self-builts also come from the cities of Burbank, Downey, La Cañada Flintridge, Sierra Madre and Cal Poly Universities.
The city float’s history goes back to its founding in 1893 and South Pasadena’s storied heritage of creative excellence and skilled craftsmanship dates to 1911 when it debuted the first float entry, backed by a non-paid workforce, of course.
Not surprisingly, South Pasadena has the longest-running float in the parade.
The labor by service-minded individuals has paid off handsomely as the local entry has garnered its share of awards from the Tournament of Roses’ Judging Committee over the years.
After the 2021 parade was cancelled on account of COVID 19, South Pasadena has won four consecutive high honors, including the Founder Award in 2022 for “Dream. Believe. Achieve,” followed by the Bob Hope Humor Award for “Turning the Corner” in 2023, the Founder Award again in 2024 for “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language” and the Fantasy Trophy in 2025 for “Best Day Ever!”
The last two years were under Donnelly’s watch, and he hopes to make it three-for-three when he and others will gather in front of the Tournament of Roses headquarters in the morning hours on January 1 before the start of the parade to hear if another award comes the city’s way.
Win or lose, Donnelly knows he’s got a committed and loyal support network behind him doing the heavy lifting in presenting a float that reflects well on the city and stands as a source of civic pride.
And what exactly will that look like?
“You’ll see a bear that has dozed off while on a picnic, as a team of hungry ants absconds with all of the goodies from his picnic basket,” Donnelly said, describing the local float, ahead of answering how it ties into the overall 2026 theme of Tournament of Roses Parade – “The Magic in Teamwork.”
That’s easy for the man in charge. “This is a continuation of our tradition of whimsical, family-friendly designs,” he responded when asked.
Donnelly is also quick to point out that the work on the float starts 14 months out – yes, 14, not 12 – as design plans for the 2027 parade are already underway.
“We begin construction in late spring, but things really get underway in August when our big tent goes up behind the War Memorial building,” said Donnelly. “I am continually amazed at how hard our South Pas team works all year long.”
The hustle and bustle at the worksite in the 400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue is felt now, but it’s nothing like it will be in those final days and hours leading up to the deadline, known simply as “Crunch Time,” – that intense period when calling all hands-on deck to get the job done becomes the loudest.
The committee even has a long-standing fundraiser, its biggest of the year, designed around it called the “Crunch Time Party,” held annually inside the War Memorial Building on December 29, featuring a sit-down dinner, this time around catered by Stonefire Grill, as well as a silent and a live auction with auctioneer Kevin Bourland, a respected realtor in town, encouraging those in the crowd to give generously.
South Pasadena’s float is funded by donations of all amounts from the community, a large part coming from the local businesses featured on sponsor banners hung inside the work tent. “We project our costs this year to be about $150,000, but there is some uncertainty about the impact of tariffs as many of our flowers are imported from Central America,” Donnelly said.
Down the stretch to completion, help at the float site is always welcome. Janet Benjamin, the decoration co-chair along with Leland Glauz, puts it into perspective by noting: “Remember that many people make a big job small,” borrowing the parade theme to further make her point, “It’s the magic in teamwork!”
So, in just a matter of days, South Pasadena’s float will be sitting on Orange Grove Avenue awaiting to make the turn onto Colorado Boulevard for the yearly launch of the Rose Parade.
“Morale is high this year!” Donnelly assured. “We have a great team in the tent with a lot of new volunteers joining us for the first time this year. We have hit all of our milestones for construction and are ready to move solidly into the decorating phase.”
Donnelly says serving as president of the SPTOR Committee the past three years has been “remarkably rewarding,” quickly adding: “Working side by side with this amazing team to represent our community is an honor. Our incredible volunteers put in hundreds of hours of work to get us ready to roll down the parade route on New Year’s Day.”
And, before December comes to an end, Donnelly promises he’ll be passing along some important news of interest.
“We are planning on making a major announcement about the future of the float before the end of the year,” he said, signing off by saying, “Stay tuned!”
For more information about the Crunch Time Party and volunteer opportunities, go to www.SPTOR.org
