2009 Tournament of Roses

Susie MacMillan of Altadena tosses rose petals toward a passing equestrian unit at the Rose Parade. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Emily Brown, 22, holds a sign that she says always gets her a personal greeting from marchers on the parade route. She says this is the 21st Rose Parade she has attended. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Ruth Elder’s golden retriever remains calm as a band passes their viewing site along Sierra Madre Boulevard near the end of the Rose Parade. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Majorette Juanita Calvillo, 17, of Golden Valley High School in Merced collapses into the arms of Mai Vang, 15 at the end of the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Pasadena youngsters, from left, Colby Brooks, 6, P.J. Fellows, 10, Ellie Brooks, 10, and Emma Hovanec enjoy the Rose Parade. The 120th edition of the annual pageant presented 46 floats and 22 marching bands celebrating Southern California’s entertainment industry. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The Sierra Madre Rose Float Assn. entry “Bollywood Dreams” won the Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy for most beautiful float from a noncommercial sponsor. The float, which pays tribute to India’s film industry, depicts a wedding scene from a typical Bollywood film. A bride is shown entering in a dholi carried by 12 men, and the groom follows atop an elephant. Six waterfalls flow over lush floral gardens, and dancers performing alongside the float portray wedding guests. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Torrance’s “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” won the Tournament Volunteers Trophy for best floral design of parade theme under 35 feet in length. The city chose a scene from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” for its 55th float in the event. The entry, built by Fiesta Parade Floats, features depictions of the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and the Dormouse, accompanied by a Torrance resident playing Alice. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

The Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm Band, making its first appearance in the Rose Parade, leads the procession in Pasadena. The musicians from the Texas university are renowned for their high-energy routines. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Horses, riders and the occasional rope trick are Rose Parade staples. Here, a member of the All American Cowgirl Chicks from Weatherford, Texas, shows off. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Sun and fun were the order of the day for some of the thousands at today’s proceedings in Pasadena. As in 53 of the last 54 years, the morning chill gave way to a bright, clear day, just as Tournament of Roses founders intended for their floral-scented advertisement for sunny Southern California. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Rose Queen Courtney Lee, 17, of Arcadia High School, in white, leads her court in the 120th Rose Parade. Princesses, clockwise from Lee, are Quinn Young, 16, La Canada High School; Bridget McDonald, 18, Pasadena City College; Mary Gaule, 17, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy; Lauren Valenzuela, 17, Arcadia High School; Molly Novell, 18, La Salle High School; and Jasmine Jenkins, 17, La Salle High School. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

They fight, they play: Musicians in the Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band sport their best dress blues as they entertain parade-goers in Pasadena. The band has played in the last 50-plus Rose Parades. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Trader Joe’s float “Saturday Matinee” waits for the parade to start. Movie genres are in full flower in the entry, built by Phoenix Decorating Co. In addition to a green monster that moves its head and shoots smoke from its mouth, the float features a concession stand box that spews popcorn. There’s also a robot that rotates and a giant gorilla that raises and lowers the “captive” rider clenched in its hairy fist. The musicians in the foreground are with the Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm Band. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Performers in the “Hats Off to Entertainment” show kick off the 120th Rose Parade. The show, produced by Sequoia Productions, featured a centerpiece stage sponsored by American Honda. Performers included Grand Marshal Cloris Leachman and other dancers from the television show “Dancing With the Stars.” Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A 49-foot-tall robot highlights American Honda’s “Hat’s Off in Celebration” float. The entry, built by Phoenix Decorating Co., features members of the Prairie View A&M University marching band. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The RFD-TV float “Hee Haw” celebrates the 40th anniversary of the variety show. Phoenix Decorating Co. put together an 85-foot-long extravaganza that includes a steam-spewing tractor, a 25-foot-tall windmill with spinning blades, and a rustic barn. The entry also displays the bounty of the heartland: potatoes, apples, carrots, broccoli, squash, cabbage, cucumbers, cantaloupe, soybeans, watermelon, pumpkins and corn. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Rain Bird Corp.’s “Entertaining Expedition” won the Sweepstakes Award for most beautiful entry. The float, created by Fiesta Parade Floats, showcases an African safari and aims to foster awareness of the central role that water plays in sustaining the Earth’s diverse environments and their inhabitants. Zebras, giraffes, gazelles, monkeys and a cheetah make appearances, and elephants frolick at the water’s edge beneath flowering acacia trees. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The 91st Rose queen, Courtney Chou Lee, 17, of Arcadia, waves to the crowd. She leads a court that also includes Princesses Mary Gaule, 17, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy; Jasmine Jenkins, 17, La Salle High School; Bridget McDonald, 18, Pasadena City College; Molly Novell, 18, La Salle High School; Lauren Valenzuela, 17, Arcadia High School; and Quinn Young, 16, La Canada High School. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

A diver illustrates the theme of Mission Viejo’s “Making a Splash,” which won the Judges Special Award for showmanship and dramatic impact. The float showcases the city’s landmarks -- among them Lake Mission Viejo -- and elements of its recreational lifestyle, such as the Oso Creek Trail. The builder, Fiesta Parade Floats, used more than 7,000 agapanthus blossoms to create a canopy of jacaranda trees over the lake. In addition, it lined the pathways of the Oso Creek Trail in an array of roses, the city’s official flower. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

High school musicians in the Bands of America National Honor Band prepare for the parade. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the Bands of America National Honor Band prepare to march. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Dancers with the city of Sierra Madre‘s “Bollywood Dreams” float await the start of the parade. The city’s entry pays tribute to India’s film industry, including a depiction of a wedding scene from a typical Bollywood film. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Madison Hopkins, 15, of Thousand Oaks gets an assist with her makeup before the parade. She is a rider on the Farmer’s Insurance float, “Family Outing,” which portrays a drive in the family car through a colorful country scene. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

There was still time to sleep around 5 a.m. along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, with the start of the 120th Rose Parade still about three hours away. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Rose Parade watchers staked out their territory before dawn today in Pasadena. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

With their prime viewing spots staked out, overnight arrivals for the Rose Parade focused on a more immediate matter -- keeping warm. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Courtney Harper, 11, awaits the start of today’s Rose Parade in the early morning. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Early-bird Rose Parade viewers along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena this morning around 5 o’clock. Complete Rose Parade coverage  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)