Last Days at the Rose Parade

Day 6 – January 1

8:15 AM, Corner Bakery, Pasadena

Quiet time. Family time.

It’s New Year’s Day, but oddly doesn’t feel like it. I’ve just dropped off the American Fork band staff at their formal brunch with the dignitaries of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Without the Rose Parade being today, in accordance with the “Never on Sunday” stipulation set out by the Pasadena city fathers over a century ago, it is actually going to be a very quiet day for us. But it is a welcome pause in the action, for it’s been three very exciting and long days and our biggest day is yet to come.

Being from Utah, the vast majority of the group are members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Over the years of working with them I’ve learned that Sunday is to be a quiet, restful day, and so we plan our itineraries accordingly. Most importantly, I’ve learned and witnessed how family is a central focus of their lives. While all bands are “family,” much like their outstanding performance abilities, the American Fork group transcends the concept of “family” to an entirely new level.

This was put to an unimaginable test two years ago. As they were returning from a marching band contest, one of their bus drivers suffered a medical emergency and collapsed at the wheel. Heather Christensen, one of the young assistant directors of the group, leapt to her feet to grab the steering wheel to keep the bus on the road. While the bus unfortunately did roll into the ditch, her actions allowed the students on the bus to brace for the impact. Sadly, Heather was thrown from the vehicle and died instantly at the scene. Her actions are credited with saving the lives of many students.

Heather is very much on the kids’ minds this week. One of her dreams was to someday be with a group in the Tournament of Roses Parade, and in part their performance tomorrow is dedicated to her memory. The kids know that tomorrow, she will be with them in spirit as they march down Colorado Boulevard.

This strength of family is part of what makes it such an honor and a pleasure to spend time with this group and these kids. I’m a big believer in “the company that you keep”, and with the values and work ethic that I see instilled in these kids by their teachers and their parents—these kids are great company! It’s groups like this one that inspire me to be better at what I do on a daily basis.

So today—we will do what families do when they come to California. It’s a postcard day here, so we’ll visit the postcard sites. Santa Monica Pier, to gaze out over the beautiful Pacific. We’ll see the familiar sites of Hollywood and Beverly Hills….the places you see in the movies and television that become just a little more real, but no less magical. We’ll stop at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to see whose handprints most closely match ours. (Harrison Ford, in case you’re wondering. What can I say….I’m a sci-fi adventure geek child of the 80’s. This is a thrill.)

And tonight it’s back to the hotel early—for tomorrow is a very early day indeed. And with great memories yet to come.

Day 7 – January 2

9:40 AM, the corner of Orange Grove Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena

Going the distance.

This is the Boston Marathon of parades. Once you get to the bus drop off location, where you’ve arrived perhaps as early as 5:30 AM depending upon your parade placement, there is a ¾ mile walk to the line up site. Then begins a 5.5 mile parade down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Then another ¾ mile walk to the bus parking site at the end, with the last ¼ mile of that uphill. No kidding.

Oh, and did I mention there’s horses? Lots and lots of horses. If you’ve been in a band….you know what I mean.

What we have going for us today is the weather. It could not be more ideal. About 70 degrees at parade time, and not a cloud in the sky. In the 123 year history of the parade, it has only rained 10 times. (Remember that “Never on Sunday” rule? Some say there’s no coincidence there.)

The fan group is sitting on Colorado Boulevard, directly across from the Norton Simon Museum. If you’ve seen the television coverage, that’s the big brown building with the Rose Parade logo on the side just past the big 105 degree turn. What we’ve seen at home dozens of times through the camera lens, we are now seeing live and in person.

We hear the familiar strains of “76 Trombones” and look to our left. Here they come, executing the dreaded “big turn” perfectly, instruments gleaming in the California sun…the kids standing tall and confident and playing their hearts out. Countless hours of practices, years of training and dedication to excellence, and the immeasurable support of their parents, their teachers, and their community has led to this moment.

And the parents cheer…so loudly and proudly that we almost can’t hear the band. They cheer because the band looks and sounds fantastic. They cheer because all of the effort and work has made this moment happen. They cheer as encouragement to the band, knowing that they are only at the start of this long parade and hoping this excitement will help sustain them to the end. They cheer for the love of their kids.

Before the parade, Mr. Miller told the band: “When you round the corner, and are at the top of the hill, take a moment to look up from your instrument…and look down the parade route at the one million people who are there to hear you play. Take that moment, and enjoy it.” Based on the sound of their performance, I am certain they took that moment, savored it, and allowed it to nourish them for the next 5 miles.

And just like that, they were past our seats and down the parade route.

We would find out later that not one of the 230 musicians dropped out of the parade—no one passing out or giving in to exhaustion or injury. Every single one determined to experience every single moment of this once in a lifetime performance. Every single one knowing they went the distance.

Moments like this change lives. Like running a marathon. Or climbing a mountain. An experience like this can go far beyond being a simple parade…it can help these young people find the confidence that will inspire their dreams.

Later that evening at their banquet, Mr. Miller would tell the group, “Someday, you’ll be sitting in front of a television with your children….or possibly your grandchildren….and you’ll point to the screen and be able to say ‘I did that.’”

Truer words could not be spoken.