Cougars & Mustangs 

Another year, another smattering of finals obliterated. What on earth are you going to do with the rest of your year? I mean, other than Christmas, of course, don’t let’s be silly. 

Well, it’s not too late to visit Pasadena! Pasadena?!, you ask, wondering what could be found there that relates back to the topics at hand. Well, you may not be aware of this yet, but SLO actually takes up one of the great holiday traditions, the Tournament of Roses Parade, a fantastic parade featuring detailed work done on floats with flowers and other plants that take one’s breath away with a single glance. 

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Well, along with its sister school in Pomona, our very own Cal Poly features a float every single year in this event, with cute themes and work divided between the two campuses. Though the telecasters inevitably mispronounce our city’s name, the float is always a treat, and this time, that’s quite literal! The title of the work is “Sweet Shenanigans” and is the only one of the 44 floats this year that will be entirely student-made. That’s where you come in! Do you want to take part in festive history, building a display of 5- to 8-foot colorful gummy bears enjoying a snow day in an ice cream wonderland, amid towering waffle-cone mountains, a frozen lake, and lollipop forest? 

Good, because volunteers are being sought to help with the building process down in Pasadena, where that Little Old Lady the Beach Boys know lives. For this 68th year of Cal Poly float collaboration, up to 400,000 flowers, including roses, Gerbera daisies, chrysanthemums, and many other varied objects are required—and all of them must be applied by hand.

The time you’re needed? Four-hour shifts are available each day, from Dec. 26 through 30, between 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. (8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 30) at the Brookside Pavilion, located on the south side of the Rose Bowl Stadium. All ages are welcome, and a $1 donation per person is suggested for admittance. Would you like more information on helping this wonderful tradition? Then please don’t hesitate to visit eventbrite.com/e/cal-poly-rose-float-decorations-week-1227-registration-18804604077 to sign up or asi.calpoly.edu/university_union/rose_float if you still want that information. Happy decorating, flower children of New Year’s Day 2016! 

Contributor Chris White-Sanborn ate a giant gummy bear once. The Willy Wonka Zoo was never the same again. Send her your collegiate news via [email protected].