In typical parade fashion, the participants included various groups atop ornately ordained floats, automobiles, marching bands and note-worthy community members.
[5] The parade and festival was seen as an event of the season in which people came from all around to engage in the rich display of natural beauty of Sonoma County.
Floats featuring baseball, women's solidarity, peace, pioneering, etc., were all present to promote the issues and interests of the times.
There were no firemen in red pajamas squirting water, or clowns … In brief: there was no comedy in the units entered in the comical feature and miscellaneous category.”[8] This was not the typical aura of the affair – most years are met with celebration and excitement from all involved.
[1] The clowns in the parade are local business owners and community members that have made significant contributions to the organization.
[1] The dedication of community leaders to the Rose Parade and Festival serves to show the importance of the event to civic pride.
The festival takes place at Juilliard Park after the parade and includes much music, games, food and frivolity.
The festival has been significantly expanded to include many free activities for families as well as critical resources like a diaper changing and nursing station.
The festival will have fun contests for the community to participate in and have a diverse array of performers that represent Sonoma County.
The parade was always preceded by a gala, the Coronation Ball, in which a queen and royal court were selected to reign over the events of the weekend.
This pergola kept true to the flower theme by having “heavy pillars supporting the canopy of trailing vines and intermingling roses.”[5] In 1910, part of the festivities included a dedication of the new court house in Santa Rosa, overseen by the Queen of the Rose Parade.
[1] Events began to stretch across the city, with golf tournaments, sailing contests, children's entertainment and dance competitions.