Luther Burbank Rose Parade and Festival

The Rose Parade began in 1894,[2] then called the Rose Carnival, with the help of Thomas Patrick Keegan, to celebrate the landscape Sonoma County.[3] Keegan was a city engineer and clothier in Santa Rosa. He “conceived the moving exhibit of community pride and creativity”[4] many years ago. Brian Keegan, a descendant of Thomas Patrick Keegan, was President of the Rose Parade and Festival board a few years ago. He sought to continue the legacy of his ancestor in bringing civic pride to the community.[4] Brian Keegan still currently serves on the board.[1]

In the early 1900s, the parade and festival was organized by the collaboration of the Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations. In typical parade fashion, the participants included various groups atop ornately ordained floats, automobiles, marching bands and note-worthy community members. The floats in the procession included various species of flowers, not just roses. Unlike in present day, the event was not seen as a casual affair. Patrons and spectators alike dressed lavishly to attend the parade and festival.[5] The parade and festival was seen as an event of the season in which people came from all around to engage in the rich display of natural beauty of Sonoma County.

The parade did not take place for the years spanning the World Wars. It began anew in the 1950s when the Junior Chamber of Commerce undertook the task of organizing it once again. It is then that the parade was renamed in honor of Luther Burbank.[1] After the long reprieve in the 1930s and 1940s, the organizers of the celebration took to inviting well-known figures to participate in the parade as Grand Marshals. One such person was Charles Schulz, giving a Peanuts flavor to the parade and carnival on that year. Others include government officials, local heroes, veterans and business owners.[1] These prominent individuals served to help promote the parade and festival in sphere's outside the Santa Rosa locale.

Throughout the twentieth century, floats were designed to reflect popular culture at the time. Floats featuring baseball, women's solidarity, peace, pioneering, etc., were all present to promote the issues and interests of the times.[6] Events often included foot and auto races, baby contests, and the like.[7] 1909 marked an unprecedented project for the parade: a nighttime affair with lighted floats. It was an impressive undertaking in which “floats med lavish use of lighted designs and the parade included one float lighted by means of an electric trolley attached to the car line.”[3] In light of the turbulent political times of the 1960s, a less jovial air was involved in the displays. In 1967 Ray Smith of The Press Democrat wrote, “Missing from this parade was laughter. There were no firemen in red pajamas squirting water, or clowns … In brief: there was no comedy in the units entered in the comical feature and miscellaneous category.”[8] This was not the typical aura of the affair – most years are met with celebration and excitement from all involved.

In recent years, the parade has claimed close to a quarter million people in attendance per year. It often includes close to 4,000 volunteers.[1] There is now a more regimented protocol for entrance into the parade, including a rule that states at least one rose must be seen by the judges or a point penalty will be incurred[1] These rules are established in order to maintain safety and create a level evaluation platform for all entries. There are several categories in which to enter, with awards including: best entry using local history, best use of recycled material, best use of roses, best use of theme and several placement awards for various categories. The Rose Parade and Festival offers over $4,000 worth of awards to winners.[1] The clowns in the parade are local business owners and community members that have made significant contributions to the organization. They call themselves the “Distinguished Clown Corps.” These individuals are trained by a professional clown in order to properly entertain the crowds.[1] The dedication of community leaders to the Rose Parade and Festival serves to show the importance of the event to civic pride.

Currently the parade route centers on the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, winds down 4th Street and Mendocino Avenue to end near 1st Street. The festival takes place at Juilliard Park after the parade and includes much music, games, food and frivolity. It is also in this place that the award ceremony commences.[1] In light of the recent economic decline, the festival has downsized from a three-day affair to that of only one.

There was no parade in 2020.