Following controversy over its float’s concept, the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association has removed audio from their entry in the Jan. 1 Rose Parade, officials said.
The float, “Pancake Breakfast,” includes a giant fire truck modeled after Sierra Madre’s Fire Engine #41. One firefighter – part of an entourage of three firefighters and the association’s three princesses – is spraying syrup from a fire hose onto a giant stack of pancakes.
The float’s audio – of the firefighter calling for more syrup to spray, which some commentators called “insensitive” – was pulled.
Sierra Madre Float Association officials said the intent was never to disparage the work of firefighters, but rather to “honor teamwork and our firefighters,” according to a statement from the association’s Board of Directors.
In its conceptual summary with the Tournament of Roses, the Sierra Madre Float Association — a longtime participant in the Jan. 1 event — noted that “our pancake breakfast shows teamwork within our Fire Department with a whimsical twist, as they focus on syrup placement on an enormous stack of pancakes, turning our breakfast into a fun filled community event.”
But after days of criticism, the associated acted.
“Because the intent of this float is to bring joy and not distress, we have decided to remove the dialogue and music portion of the soundtrack,” according to the statement.
According to float Volunteer Coordinator Hanna Jungbauer, the backlash comes from people who were misinformed about the float’s audio, which made no mention of fire or burning – only a firefighter’s need for more syrup.
Construction of Sierra Madre’s 94th float design by the all-volunteer-based team started in March. It won a group vote in January.
Many volunteers, like head builder Kurt Kulhavy, said that each year, the Rose Parade float is integral to Sierra Madre’s community. He maintained that the float was meant to honor firefighters, albeit whimsically.
“This year, when the [Sierra Madre] Fire Department restarted their pancake breakfasts, I took it downtown,” Kulhavy said, pointing out that the then-float wasn’t painted. “The fire department closed the road for me, and we parked it there all day for the pancake breakfast.”
According to Kulhavy, the float is often showcased more than other commercial floats. Some years, it goes to car shows for its impressive metal chassis. Other years, it parades the Wistaria Festival.
“Besides the Rose Parade, everybody had real good visibility and [a good] idea of what we do every year,” Kulhavy said.
But the 2026 Rose Parade is coming off a year like no other.
The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed thousands of structures, and together they officially took 31 lives. Sierra Madre itself was impacted by the Eaton fire.
From the earliest days since the fire, there was criticism over the lack of water in local hydrants, delays in evacuation alerts in west Altadena, low water pressure out of fire hoses, and the extent to which they hampered the firefight.
The memory of those issues has not gone away, as evidenced by what Jungbauer said was more than 300 emails about Sierra Madre’s Rose Parade float that she fielded.
Beautiful Altadena Organizer Shawna Dawson called the float’s audio “tone deaf,” who voiced her concern in local media about the float.
I just wanted it to make clear that this is not about what I think about this float, or my personal opinion,” Dawson said, insisting that the float had good intentions but appeared indelicately. “I spoke on behalf of the hundreds of people in our group who had shared their hurt and upset over the float, and that hurt and upset was shared in response to a post of equal hurt and upset shared by one of the float volunteers.”
One now-deleted social media comment said “If no one in Sierra Madre can tell this non-profit how ridiculously insensitive this float is and make it right for your neighbors in Altadena, then what’s the point of supporting any business in Sierra Madre? I’d rather use my time and money to support the few businesses left, right?”
Some messages also included threats, prompting a police presence at the float’s warehouse over the weekend.
“I get it,” Jungbauer said. “My heart is with Altadena. After the fires, I was one of the people that came here. We built sifters. We brought PPE supplies. We brought box trucks of donations, but none of that is remembered […] and I totally get why, [but] that’s what we’re trying to mitigate.”
Jungbauer emphasized the volunteer-based nature of the non-profit, inviting those still wary to “understand it in person,” because according to her, “the news has not been fair.”
According to Jungbauer, some of the more-than 250 volunteers include Altadena residents who “want reprieve.”
And it’s not just Altadena residents whose houses burned down. Sierra Madre was also affected by the Eaton fire. A few of the float’s past princesses’ homes burned down, and so did those of a few volunteers.
“We want to be empathetic and sympathetic to our neighbors,” Lead Florist Anne McKenzie said, who co-manages social media with Jungbauer.
“Sierra Madre knows we got lucky that night and the wind shifted, but […] some of our members lost everything in these foothill communities,” McKenzie said. “This is a community float, and we just want to bring it back to that. It was done out of love, not mal-intent.”
The Tournament of Roses Association officials, who organize the parade, said Sierra Madre is among an array of towns whose self-built floats contribute to the parade.
“The Rose Parade is made possible by communities across the region who proudly share their creativity, traditions and volunteer spirit,” Tournament CEO David Eads said. “Each participating organization develops and is responsible for the concept and design of its entry, and we value the passion, local pride, and dedication that community groups like Sierra Madre bring to this cherished tradition.”
Joshua Silla is a correspondent with the Southern California News Group.