Glen A. Wilson’s clubs KIWIN’S and Key Club were welcomed to volunteer to decorate Rose Floats for the 133rd annual Rose Parade on Jan. 1.
The Rose Parade, or Tournament of Roses Parade, is an annual parade held in Pasadena on the first day of the new year. Thousands are able to enjoy the event’s decorated floats, equestrian units, bands and even a college football game at the Rose Bowl Game, this year between the Utah Utes and Ohio State Buckeyes.
And of the two dozen floats that rode down Colorado Blvd., some were decorated by Wilson community service clubs KIWIN’S and Key Club members. They, including senior Serena Yang, had volunteered to decorate the Rose Floats. Yang is District Governor for KIWIN’S and she describes the fun time she had at the Rose Parade.
“It was a life-changing experience to say the least,” Yang says. “Having the opportunity to sit on the floats was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and words cannot express how thankful I am to have experienced it. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Rose Floats Parade because it was an iconic parade that started off the New Year, being viewed nationally, maybe internationally too!”
Yang also explains the hard work she put in behind the event.
“The past four years, I would volunteer days leading up to the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Parade. I was working long shifts and decorating the floats with flowers to become actual Rose Floats. I was always tired at the end of the day, but it was worth it after seeing the major transformation each float went through. This always made Rose Floats decorating my favorite time of year,” states Yang.
Key Club also volunteered to decorate floats for this year’s Rose Parade. Among them was junior Key Club District Officer Katrina Liang. She recounts the experience.
“The atmosphere of the event was very upbeat and chill. It was not only Key Club [members] but a lot of groups of different people and individuals so it was very diverse and cool,” Liang says. “I think my favorite part about decorating the Rose Floats was hanging out with friends and [making] memories. I remember I did a 15 hour shift one day and it was so much fun just decorating and joking around with my friends.”
Liang also details the creation of the Rose Floats themselves.
“Working on the floats was actually not that bad. I really enjoyed gluing and attaching different dried-up flowers or leaves [to the float]. When building the floats, the general shape of it is pre-made and volunteers just glue and attach things to them. Everything attached is an organic thing from plants.”
If you missed this year’s Rose Parade, make sure to keep an out for the next on Jan. 1, 2023.
