Ivory Soap (#20)
Float Theme: Generations of Good Clean Fun Ivory's second parade entry brings three generations of Ivory girls together to celebrate the magic of bath time. Set in a lush lavender field, the youngest member of the Ivory family splashes in a giant bathtub made of crushed sweet rice. Bath time would not be complete for this bathing beauty without her favorite rubber ducky made completely of yellow strawflower. Mom and grandma are nearby sharing this magical bath time moment. A beautiful butterfly rests atop the showerhead, and opens and closes its wings. The bed of the float is abloom with lavender roses, purple irises and orchids.
Along the parade route, spectators will be the first to experience the soothing scent of Ivory's new Lavender bar and body wash as real running water from the showerhead creates lavender-scented bubbles that float from the tub into the crowd. Ivory is kicking off a national search for the Next Ivory Family, last seen in Ivory advertising 40 years ago.
Band: Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band (#21)
Location: Pasadena, California
The Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Band (originally the Pasadena Junior College Bulldog Band) first marched in the Rose Parade in 1930 and has continued to perform in the parade for 77 consecutive years. The band has also performed for many Tournament of Roses Association events such as press conferences, the queen and court announcements and Bandfest since becoming the official Tournament of Roses Band in 1930. The band also performed in the 2004 and 2005 Shanghai Tourism Festival Opening Day Parades in China representing the Tournament of Roses.
Director James Arnwine leads this year's band composed of 277 members: one drum major, 108 brass, 35 percussion, 65 woodwinds, 10 dancers and 15 banner carriers. Each year the band performs musical selections that depict the parade theme, including "Everything's Coming Up Roses."
Tournament of Roses President (#22)
Tournament of Roses President, Libby Evans Wright, accompanied by her husband, Dr. William Wright, will greet nearly one million spectators along the five-and-a-half mile Rose Parade route. They make their magical ride in a reproduction of an elegant, late 1800s Victorian carriage provided by Frank and Adriana Leyendekker. The carriage is one of Glacier National Park's legendary red touring coaches. Dating back to the 1930s, these distinctive vehicles provide visitors to Glacier National Park a unique way to experience the Park's soaring peaks and magnificent vistas.
The family includes the Wrights' children and grandchildren: David and Terry Evans with Kinsley and Hannah; Kathryn Damron with Paul and Valerie; Jim Schwendeman with Brandon and Brady; and Lisa and Dallas Grabow with Chad William.
Farmers Insurance Group (#23)
Float Theme: Protecting Your Family
The magic of a mother's love is demonstrated by a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex in Farmers' 47th entry in the Rose Parade. The prehistoric mama dinosaur, clad in a frilly apron and wielding a cooking spoon, makes it clear that protecting family was a primary instinct—even eons ago—as she shields her baby T-Rex from a pair of Deinonychus.
A wide selection of produce is used to achieve a prehistoric look for the Tyrannosaurus and Deinonychus, accented by a garden of roses, orchids, irises and daisies. The head and tail of the giant T-Rex are animated, swinging to and fro.
Band: Prospect High School Marching Knights (#24)
Location: Mt. Prospect, Illinois
The Prospect High School Marching Knights' first Rose Parade appearance was 20 years ago. Under the direction of David Morrison, the Marching Blue Knights have gained national recognition for their outstanding performances at state and national competitions, winning several championships at the Chicagoland Marching Festival.
The Marching Knights have traveled extensively. An unusual note about the band is that they have practiced their parade routine on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. Some of their appearances include: the King Kameamea Parade in Hawaii, Lordmayor of Westminster's Parade in London, Fiesta Bowl Parade in Phoenix and the Citrus Bowl and Magic Kingdom Parades in Orlando. They had the great honor to perform at ground zero during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2002; they played "Battle Hymn of the Republic" while folding an American flag and presented it for permanent residence at the site.
The Home Depot (#25)
Float Theme: Going for the Gold
The Home Depot is a proud sponsor of the United States, Canadian and Puerto Rican Olympic and Paralympic Teams and also the world's leading employer of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls. Each day, world-class athletes tie on orange aprons and go to work in Home Depot stores across North America, mixing paint, tending to plants and cutting 2x4s in exchange for support and steady wages.
The magic of Olympic competition burns brightly on The Home Depot float "Going for the Gold." The Olympic flame and Olympic rings are visual symbols of all the magical qualities embodied by the athletes. The Olympic flame is created with full roses and carnations, while its urn is decorated with sesame seed, crushed walnut and corn husks. The Olympic rings feature statice, ti leaves, carnation petals and seaweed with crushed rice highlights. The national flags include crushed rice, carnation petals, statice, ti leaves and a variety of herbs and spices.
