PASADENA, Calif. — A spiraling staircase with spangled dancers paying tribute to Broadway, a lush garden wedding flanked by sari-clad models representing India's Bollywood film industry and a giant movie monster symbolizing the venerable Saturday matinee were just some of the floats that enthralled thousands of spectators at the 120th annual Rose Parade on New Year's Day. Among them was an entry from Fort Wayne's Vera Bradley company, which promoted breast cancer awareness.
With the parade's theme "Hats Off to Entertainment," many floats featured different aspects of the entertainment industry.
Parade-goers were wowed by a 49-foot robot named Asimo on a float sponsored by Honda Motor Co. when fireworks and streamers shot out of his hat. All the parade's floats featured thousands of roses and other flowers, seeds and organic materials.
Cynthia Nixon, an Emmy-award winning actress from "Sex and the City" and a breast cancer survivor, was perched on the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer float "Hope Grows," which featured an elaborate garden scene with Vera Bradley handbags popping from the flowers. The float received the Director's Trophy for outstanding artistic merit in design and floral presentation.
See more in Friday's News-Sentinel.
