The B-2 didn’t fly. But the America250 float soared down Colorado Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 1.
When three majestic bald eagles soared 30-feet over Colorado Boulevard in the 137th Rose Parade on New Year’s Day, organizers hoped they not only would wow the crowd, but also begin to unify a fractured nation.
It certainly united a wowed the crowd. Even in the soggy morning air, onlookers young and older along the parade’s 5.5-mile route were impressed by the giant, floral symbol of patriotism celebrating the parade’s 250th year.
Even children who ooo’ed and aww’ed at the playful lions and hippos depicted on other floats were wowed by the majestic, synchronized eagles.
“That’s my favorite!” said a 2-year-old at Colorado and Husdon. “Mine too,” said her mom.
America250 — the bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 to plan the nation’s semiquincentennial — commissioned the design of the float to align with the parade’s broader theme, “The Magic in Teamwork.”
“We hope to display the unifying power of this milestone as Americans prepare to commemorate our collective past and look toward our bright future,” according to the organization’s intent for the float.
With its coat of 500,000 flowers, it won the Tournament’s Leishman Public Spirit award for “Most outstanding floral presentation from a non-commercial participant.”
It featured a sophisticated electro-servo hydraulic system animating the three “soaring eagles.” Each eagle on the 30-foot-high float had four axes of motion that created the illusion of natural flight. Their heads moved side to side, necks pivoting up and down, with body rolls and flapping wings. An animation controller managed the velocity and position of each movement, and that resulted in smooth, lifelike action.
As it proceeded, the 55-foot-long, moving diarama of three waterfalls, shot celebratory fireworks, wowing the crowd along the way.
Mark Leavens, president of Pasadena Tournament of Roses, said early this year that he shared the optimism of the vision of reigniting patriotism.
In 1976, Leavens was 15 and celebrated the bicentennial in Boston with his father’s family, watching the tall ship procession come into the harbor.
“It’s a lifelong memory for me,” Leavens said. “To think that 50 years later that America250 is part of the Rose Parade, that really hits home for me personally.”