American Armenian Rose Float 2018 Pasadena, California. Winner of Judges Trophy “Armenian Root”
Pasadena: Three local entrants in the 2018 Rose Parade walked away with awards for their floats during the chilly annual New Year’s Day parade.
The Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn., the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn. and the American Armenian Rose Float Assn. received awards for their impressive floats, which impressed the thousands of parade-goers on Monday.
American Armenian Rose Float 2018 Pasadena, California. Winner of Judges Trophy “Armenian Root”
The American Armenian Rose Float Assn.’s entry, titled “Armenia Roots,” received the Judges Award.
The entry is a tribute to Armenian women, whether they be a mother, daughter, grandmother or aunt, who work tirelessly to be the foundation of their family, said Noubar Derbedrosian, a board member of the association.
Derbedrosian added that this is the third award the association has received out of the four float entries the organization has submitted. Last year, the group was given the Past President Award for its float titled “Field of Dreams!” in which the entry represented the American-Armenia experience in literature, music and science.
“This is an honor for us,” he said. “We’re a small group of people that do this, and we’re trying to represent all of the Armenian people, not just in Glendale, Pasadena or the L.A. area.”
After not receiving an award for its float “Home Tweet Home” last year, the Burbank association bounced back and was given the Founder Award for its nautical-themed float “Sand-Sational Helpers,” in which sea animals team up to clean a beach, coinciding with this year’s Rose Parade theme, “Making a Difference.”
Steve Edward, the Burbank association’s vice president, said that most of the pieces fell in the right place this year. The jump start on construction and decoration week going off without a hitch, he said, resulted in a solid float this year.