PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – The colorful and lively Rose Parade marched safely Jan. 2 under cloudy skies and the watchful presence of more than 1,000 law enforcement officers.
The 5½-mile parade featured marching bands, horseback riders and dozens of ornately decorated flower-covered floats.
Highlights included a Hawaii-themed float with a volcano and several waterfalls, another with surfing dogs and one honoring the 49 people killed at Pulse in Orlando. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation sponsored the float titled “To Honor and Remember Orlando” that included three survivors of the attack, Pulse co-owner Barbara Poma and Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation spokesman Ged Kenslea said the float not only honors the 49 people killed in the June 12 shooting, but it also signals the ongoing fight against “homophobia that could have contributed to this massacre.”
Three Olympic gold medalists – runner Allyson Felix, diver Greg Louganis and swimmer Janet Evans – were grand marshals of the parade.
No major problems were reported after security and other safety measures were beefed up for the 128th annual parade as a response to several terror attacks in the past year.
There were no known threats toward Pasadena, officials said, but in addition to uniformed and plainclothes officers, additional security measures were taken. Sturdy barricades were erected at more than 50 intersections to prevent a terrorist attack like ones that happened in Berlin and Nice, France, last year when trucks barreled into crowds of people.
A large law enforcement presence was also seen at the nearby Rose Bowl, where the University of Southern California was to play Penn State.
As fans tailgated hours before the game, several truckloads of FBI SWAT officers arrived at the stadium. They were joined by Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies, the California Highway Patrol, Pasadena police, bomb-sniffing dogs and Homeland Security officers.
Temperatures were cooler than normal, in the 50s during the parade. Spectators who arrived early and some at the end of the show experienced light rain.
Photos courtesy of Barbara Poma.
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