Red roses outside of the Tournament of Roses Headquarters in Pasadena, California

Behind the Scenes of the Rose Parade

The Rose Parade knows how to put on a show – even before any floats hit the streets.

By Preston Schmitt (words) and Bryce Richter (photos)

Red roses are spotted growing outside of the Tournament of Roses Headquarters in Pasadena, California.

On Monday, fans on the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s official Rose Bowl tour saw the fruits of labor – sometimes literally – that go into the magnificent Rose Parade floats. All 44 entries have a floral focus and use only natural materials for decoration, which range from cranberry seeds to Spanish moss. All of them pop with vibrant color and creativity, with the most ambitious exceeding $300,000 to produce.

More than 900 local volunteers have contributed a combined 80,000 hours over the course of the year to pull off the colossal floats. “It’s striking to see the range of volunteers – from little Daisy Girl Scouts to high school kids to college professors,” said Leigh Price, a UW–Madison alumna from Cambridge, Wisconsin, who observed the floats with her sister, Jennie Johns. “It’s cool to see them all working together.”

On Dec. 30, 2019, volunteers glue flowers and other natural materials to float elements that will be featured in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year's Day. — Volunteers glue flowers and other natural materials to float elements that will be featured in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day.

On Dec. 30, 2019, volunteers apply flowers and other natural elements to the University of Wisconsin-Madison float that will be in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. — The UW–Madison float and other floats were being created in a large warehouse near the parade headquarters.

One such volunteer is Gail Eisenberg from Santa Clarita, Calif. As Wisconsin fans stared in admiration, she precisely snipped a batch of purple statice flowers for a float celebrating the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States. “The anniversary is personal for me,” she said, noting that the float’s message inspired her to volunteer. The theme of Wednesday morning’s parade is “The Power of Hope.”

Planning the Rose Parade is a full-year process, encompassing float deconstruction and recycling, theme selection, design review, material collection and final assembly. The overwhelming detail can only be appreciated up close. Eisenberg’s flower clippings will eventually meet a blender, and the fine shreds will be carefully glued to the float.

Gail Eisenberg, a volunteer from Santa Clarita, California, cuts up purple statice flowers to be used in a float celebrating women's suffrage.

Annie Doody, a student at Cal Poly, glues flower pedals onto a float element — Annie Doody, a student at Cal Poly State University, glues flower petals onto a float element.

Each year, the parade recognizes the two teams competing in the Rose Bowl with similarly designed floats. Naturally, the Badgers’ float boasts shades of white and red. To reproduce red colors, volunteers use roses, carnations and dark marigolds. The flower of choice for white is the everlasting, but mums and carnations are also used, with rice, shredded coconut, cotton and beans creatively filling in the gaps.

The Rose Bowl tour was long on the bucket list for Price, who graduated from the UW in 1981, and Johns, who became an enthusiastic fan of the Badger Band after experiencing a Fifth Quarter performance. “To me, the band really embodied enthusiasm, youthfulness, love of life, and just camaraderie,” Johns said.

UW alum Leigh Price '81 (left) and her sister Jennie Johns (right) take a photo in front of a Tournament of Roses Parade float under construction while on a tour of the construction warehouse in Pasadena, California — UW alumna Leigh Price (left) and her sister Jennie Johns take a photo in front of a Rose Parade float while on a tour of the construction warehouse.

UW fans Ralph and Gail Hodkiewicz talk with volunteers working on floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade that will take place on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. — UW fans Ralph and Gail Hodkiewicz talk with volunteers working on floats.

The sisters plan to make the most of their first trip to Pasadena. “We’re here to have fun and we’re here to be ambassadors for the state and the university. I’m recruiting every [high school] student that I see,” Johns said, laughing.

“It’s so fun to be with a bunch of people that you’re connected to – that you don’t know, but you know,” Price added, referring to fellow Wisconsin fans in Pasadena. “When we were going through the floats, one of the volunteers said, ‘Wow, all I see is Wisconsin people here. I haven’t seen any Oregon people yet. And you’re all so much fun.’ That’s it. That’s why we’re here.”