RAIN BIRD® WINS ITS 8TH STRAIGHT TOURNAMENT OF ROSES® PARADE TROPHY
The Leading Manufacturer Of Irrigation Products Takes Home the Grand Marshal Trophy for "Springtime Symphony" And Bolsters Its Important Message Of Environmental Preservation
PASADENA, CA (January 1, 2004) - Rain Bird® Corporation, the leading manufacturer of irrigation products and services, was awarded the prestigious Grand Marshal Trophy today in recognition of their 2004 Tournament of Roses Parade entry, “Springtime Symphony.” The Grand Marshal Trophy is traditionally awarded to the float that displays excellence in creative concept and design, as determined by a panel of judges. The win marks Rain Bird’s 8th consecutive Tournament of Roses Trophy and their first Grand Marshal Trophy win in the company’s 8-year parade history.
This year’s winning float depicted a glistening winter snow thaw in the Grand Canyon’s dense floral forest floor and featured a family of magnificent spotted owls with newly hatched chicks, nestled between a Red-Crested Pileated Woodpecker, a fuzzy chipmunk and a curious Ocelot cub, With eight cascading waterfalls and 24 high-pressure misting nozzles, that used over 1,500 gallons of recycled water, the 55-foot long, 30-foot high float, continued Rain Bird’s past Rose Parade tradition of saluting the Earth’s most precious resource – water. This marks Rain Bird’s eighth straight Rose Parade award (Sweepstakes Trophy in ’98, ’99, ’01, ’02 and ’03, President's Trophy in ’00, Director’s Trophy in ’97 and the Grand Marshal Trophy in 2004) since 1997, the first year that the company participated in the New Year’s Day tradition.
“This award is a testament to the dedication of our employees and families, who worked so hard and devoted many hours to making this dream a reality,” said Rain Bird Corporate Marketing Brand Manager Stacy Sharkey. “We are proud of the important message of environmental conservation that our float communicates.”
Built by the award-winning Fiesta Parade Floats, and designed and flowered by the team of Raul Rodriguez and floral director Jim Hynd, the realistic textures and coloration of the animals on “Springtime Symphony” were achieved through the use of exotic flowers, including ironed red ti, magnolia and sea grape leaves highlighted with tufts of cornhusk, cordon puffs and pampas grass to create realistic coloration consisting of shades and textures of browns, cream and white on the owls. Sugar pine cone petals were used to achieve a leathery appearance on the owl’s legs, and the soft fluffy down on the baby chicks will be created with angel hair, sepia and Spanish pampas grass. Individual feathers, cut from glossy black seaweed, were used to cover the woodpecker with carnation petals forming its distinctive red crest, and the fuzzy fur of the young ocelot was achieved by blending various shades of yellow, gold, orange and bronze strawflower petals. Hand-brushed palm fiber created the natural fur texture on the chipmunks. The conifer tree trunks were created from strips of redwood bark and dark bronze chrysanthemums, that were supported by the glistening snow mounds of crisp white carnations, dendrobium sprays, Alba cattleya orchids and thousands of Jack Frost and Eskimo roses. Spring meadows of tulips, alstroemeria, lily of the valley, freesia, bells of Ireland, forsythia, liatris, daffodils, muscari, hyacinths and roses completed the woodland scene.
In addition, Jack Hanna (who has ridden on Rain Bird’s floats from 1999 through 2004), Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and host of “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures,” and Walter C. Crawford, Jr. (who joined Mr. Hanna on Rain Bird’s floats in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), Founder and Executive Director of the World Bird Sanctuary, served as riders aboard “Springtime Symphony,” using it as a forum to spread Rain Bird’s important message of environmental preservation and water conservation.
