Capturing a major award

The 120th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade is over. The flowers are beginning to dry out, the volunteers who spent so many hours decorating the La Cañada float are finally getting feeling back in their fingers and now it’s time to do it all over again.

“People are working on the float all year long,” said Mary Gant, 2008 president of the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association.

The association and all the volunteers barely had time to bask in the glory of winning the Animation Trophy in the Jan. 1, 2009 Rose Parade for their entry titled “Mechanical Melodies,” before beginning work on the 2010 entry. An essential part of that work is deciding on the concept for the float. As it has done in years past, the association invites community members to submit ideas for the city’s entry.

The theme for next year is “2010 — A Cut Above The Rest.” Gant said the theme was explained to her using actress Bo Derek as an example. Derek starred in Blake Edward’s film, “10,” and embodied the measurement of ultimate perfection.

“Just think of what is a little better than all the rest,” Gant said.

A committee comprised of members of the association will review the submissions.

“Every single submission is looked at,” Gant said. “And usually the ones that are rejected aren’t because we don’t like them, but [because we have to determine] whether we can actually build them.”

She added that the criteria for the La Cañada float is that it must always be humorous and no human being can ride on it.

Those going through the entries never know who submitted the concept until it is chosen. The association submits its top three choices to the Pasadena Tournament of Roses committee who in turn makes the final selection.

Gant added that each year is exciting to see which concept is finally chosen, and then the work begins. Now, however, she and the other volunteers are taking some time to remember last week’s parade and the first time they heard they won the trophy.

“It was announced by trumpeters at the Tournament of Roses house in Pasadena at 6 a.m. [on Jan.1],” Gant recalled. “We were all ecstatic. You should have seen these grown men jumping around like they were boys.”