Wells Fargo (#26)
Marshal: Doug MurpheyEach of the two Wells Fargo stagecoaches is pulled by four horses and is accompanied by an out rider. All horses are quarterhorses that are matched by their color, size and gait. The Wells Fargo stagecoaches being used in the Rose Parade are historically accurate reproductions built by Doug Hansen of Letcher, S.D. Preserving its legacy of dependable stagecoach drivers, quick-thinking messengers and brightly-painted Concords drawn by matched teams, Wells Fargo sends its famous stagecoaches to community events throughout the country.
The Wells Fargo heritage goes back to the birth of California statehood. Historically Wells Fargo used a variety of horses: quarterhorses, wild mustangs and sometimes mules. Fancier teams were generally used in larger towns. The stagecoach driver was often formally dressed in a suit and tie, a vest and sometimes a bowler hat. Today the costumes are less formal and include a Western-style hat and leather boots.
American Honda (#27)
Float Theme: Once Upon a Time
American Honda celebrates the good nature that classically triumphs in fairy tales, fables and internationally renowned festivals such as the Tournament of Roses. Drawing on the lore of good nature battling evil nature in centuries of classic fables and nursery rhymes, American Honda presents a pair of fabulous dragons. Breathing actual fire and smoke, the good dragon soars 50 feet above the parade route to protect a gigantic fairy tale castle from the onslaught of evil. Flames leap nearly 15 feet out of the dragon's mouth, and smoke streams from its nostrils as it engages in an epic moral battle — ensuring that the princess of the castle will live happily ever after.
American Honda has captured major parade awards 11 of the last 12 years. The company provides the Tournament of Roses with all of the motor scooters used by white suited volunteers on parade duty and provides automobiles and vans for parade officials and Tournament of Roses transportation needs.
Louisiana Leadership Institute Marching Band (#28)
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Louisiana Leadership Institute Marching Band was started four years ago as part of a vast educational complex designed to tutor students in math, science and English and to teach leadership skills. Directed by Cornell Knighten, the band has 174 members, including one drum major, 112 brass, 24 percussion, 11 dancers, 24 woodwinds and two banner carriers.
The Louisiana Leadership Institute Marching Band won first place at the Martin Luther King Battle of Bands in St. Petersburg, Fla.; first place in the Juneteenth Battle of Bands in Austin, Tex.; and first place in the Home Depot-VH1 Battle of Bands in Carson, Calif. The band has also performed at numerous New Orleans Saints games and Mardi Gras parades.
City of Duarte, California/City of Hope National Medical Center (#29)
Float Theme: Looking Out For You
This float presents a beautiful nature study with a lifelike array of flora and fauna. The picturesque floral scene is set amid lush meadows deep within the Angeles Crest National Forest. Picnickers enjoy a delightful lunch at the base of a fire lookout tower framed by magnificent pine trees and garden meadows draped in thousands of vibrantly colored roses.
Natural colors and textures for the deer's fur are created by applying golden brown cinnamon spice over fuzzy layers of dried sphagnum moss. Rabbits are artistically decorated in soft gray cottonseed with white pampas grass detail. Raccoons are created in gray and black lichen moss. Nobel pine trees provide shade for the forest meadow garden that comes alive in brilliant colors of 12,000 roses, daffodils, Monte Casino, lilies, liatris, gerbera, irises and forsythia. Four pediatric cancer patients and a caregiver from City of Hope National Medical Center ride atop the Duarte/Hope's 34th consecutive Rose Parade float.
The New Buffalo Soldiers (#30)
Marshal: C. F. Brown
The New Buffalo Soldiers are a historical reenactment group formed of a diverse team of men with a common passion: to educate the public on American history. Organized in July 1992 to be a living historical education organization, they strive to educate and enlighten the world about the contributions of black men on the American Western frontier. The group recreates the lives of Co. H Tenth Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry between 1866 and 1871.
The group has ridden in the Tournament of Roses Parade for the past 12 years. The soldiers wear authentic uniforms and carry a saber, canteen, carbine and pistol. They are riding Tennessee walking horses and Missouri fox trotters.
