First published in the July 29 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
When South Pasadena’s entry in the 2023 Rose Parade heads down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena on New Year’s Day, it will feature science front and center.
The float’s theme is “Spark of Imagination,” said Brant Dunlap, president of the float’s association. It’s in concert with the general parade theme, “Turning the Corner.”
The float’s design by Scott Feldmann, former president of the local chamber of commerce, was actually submitted several years ago, but was revisited this year, a practice the association’s design committee does every year, Dunlap said.
From the initial design, artists Richard Carlow and Matthew L. McCoy did the color rendering.
Dunlap, who has been with the float organization for several years, including serving on the design committee this past year, said committee members usually pick three to four designs for consideration, but the final choice usually comes down to — is the float buildable?
Volunteers are already building the structure of the new float at the South Pasadena War Memorial Building, Dunlap said.
The float’s basic structure takes many months to complete, and the flowers are put on during the final days leading up to the parade. He admitted that California’s climate can be a challenge when putting on flowers.
“Heat is our enemy,” he said.
