Rain Bird Corp. Wins Most Beautiful Float Trophy in Tournament Of Roses Parade

Published January 03, 2005

PASADENA, Calif. – Rain Bird Corp. was awarded the Tournament of Roses Sweepstakes Trophy on New Year’s Day 2005 in recognition of their 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade entry, “Playful Pandamonium.” The Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded to the most beautiful float in the parade as determined by a panel of judges. The win marks Rain Bird's ninth consecutive Tournament of Roses Parade award, and its sixth Sweepstakes Trophy in nine years of participation in the New Year's Day tradition.

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Liberty, the bald eagle, stretches his wings in front of Rain Bird's "Playful Pandamonium" float in the 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade. Animal enthusiasts Walter Crawford, left, and Jack Hanna appeared on the float, which advocates Rain Bird's "Intelligent Use of Water" philosophy. Photo: PR Newswire

This year’s Sweepstakes Trophy-winning float depicted a magnificent family of giant panda bears crunching on fresh bamboo culled from a mist-shrouded forest given life by an adjacent stream. 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 Rose Parade tradition of saluting the earth’s most precious resource – water.

Rain Bird has won an award each of the nine years it has entered a float in the parade, including a Sweepstakes Trophies in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005; The President’s Trophy in 2000, The Director’s Trophy in 1997 and the Grand Marshal Trophy in 2004.

Playful Pandamonium highlighted the company's vision for The Intelligent Use of Water™, a worldwide commitment to furthering environmental preservation through water conservation, and a focal point that has served as the key message for each of Rain Bird's past award-winning float entries.

"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 Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd. "We are proud of the important message of environmental conservation that our float communicates."

Designed by the award-winning float designer Raul Rodriguez and brought to life by Floral Director Jim Hynd, the unsurpassed beauty and charismatic features of the giant pandas were artistically fashioned with whole white carnations and glossy black onion seed. Colorful birds and butterflies were decorated in an array of textures and materials, including vanda orchids, Chinese lanterns, pansies, pepperberry, bells of Ireland and hydrangea petals.

The float also featured Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, Columbus, Ohio and host of “Jack Hanna’s Animal adventures; and Walter Crawford, Jr., founder and executive director of the World Bird Sanctuary. Hanna has appeared on Rain Bird’s floats since 1999 and Crawford joined Hanna in 2001.

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