LOS ANGELES _ Tens of thousands of people gathered under partly cloudy skies Wednesday morning for the 131st annual Rose Parade, cheering scores of colorful floats that rolled down the 5.5-mile route. This year's theme is "The Power of Hope."
The Rose Parade has three grand marshals this year: Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, actress Gina Torres and actress, dancer and singer Rita Moreno.
Clad in a fuzzy white sweater and a tiara, Moreno waved and smiled at the crowd as her old-fashioned car adorned in roses passed along the parade route. "My grandsons!" she yelled to the TV cameras, pointing at two young men sitting next to her.
Nearly 800,000 people were expected to attend the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl, both organized by the Tournament of Roses Assn. Special security was in place to protect the throngs.
The Rose Bowl football game has Wisconsin facing Oregon. The Badgers will be playing in the Rose Bowl for the 10th time, and Oregon will be making its eighth appearance.
Sisters Pat Torres, 65, of Whittier, and Silvia Wilson, 64, of San Diego, have been coming to the parade for decades, since they were children in the San Gabriel Valley.
They are such regulars at the Rose Parade that they have several groups of "Rose Parade neighbors" they see regularly along the parade route. This year, Dean Hanson, 76, of San Francisco greeted them with a "hello, sweeties." Then the veterans traded notes on the other familiar faces they'd seen so far.
Torres and Wilson have staked out the same spot along Colorado Boulevard, outside an Urban Outfitters, for two decades. Not only do the bands have the most energy at the beginning of the parade, but the spot faces southeast, so they get to enjoy the warmth from the sun when it rises, Wilson said.
The blue line that keeps crowds away from the parade route bends slightly inward to their right, widening their view of the approaching floats and bands, Torres said.
To claim the spot this year, Wilson said she started camping out with a rotating group of family and friends on Monday evening.
"I like the energy of all the bands that participate," said Wilson, who's adamant about attending. "Last year, when we were visiting the East Coast, I said we have to be home by the 29th so we can do this."
As a new resident of South Pasadena, Sheldon Fuller was able to avoid the hassle of waking up early to snag a spot along the parade route.
He woke up at his leisure and walked two blocks to see the floats. Fuller first saw the parade when he was 16 years old with his dad. But he thinks it's more "powerful" now than ever, with the country facing mass shootings and the impeachment of the president.
"I think it's beautiful," Fuller said. "There's all walks of life who put on a cultural exposition."
As the crowd dispersed after the parade, some used it as an opportunity to rally for their favorite presidential candidate.
A group of attendees who support Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders walked through the crowd, yelling "Feel the Bern!" and singing "Bernie" to the tune of the classic chant, "Ole, ole, ole."
For Andy Au, the Rose Parade was an opportunity to promote Andrew Yang. The pharmaceutical sales representative's post, with a flashing bike light and a Yang sign, was enough to stand out at dawn.
Au said he had talked to people about economic theory and referred others to Yang's website. Au said he wasn't working for Yang's campaign, and came out to support a candidate who is "not a politician."
"He's running on a platform putting humanity first," Au said. "It's completely out of the box."
A few people made snarky remarks when they saw Au passing out fake $1,000 bills with Yang's face in the center, referencing the candidate's platform supporting a $1,000 monthly universal basic income.
The fake money also stopped April Schiada, 59, in her tracks. The Covina resident, who paid $110 per ticket for four reserved bleacher seats, and $45 for parking, said she could see how Yang could appeal to younger voters. She said she thought of her 17-year-old son who would be graduating this year.
"What teenager doesn't need a thousand dollars?" she said.
There are a lot of tough jobs involved in pulling off the Rose Parade each year. Being a volunteer pooper scooper is one of them.
"It's the funnest, most exciting thing!" said Ger Alderson, a former kindergarten teacher, who enjoys spotting her students in the bleachers.
Alderson and her husband, Will, grew up watching the parade. That tradition has continued in honor of Will's late father, who was also a big fan of the festivities.
They've enlisted their neighbors, Rich and Cathy Hanson, to help clear manure. They dressed in Dr. Seuss character costumes that Ger Alderson made by hand.
Will, dressed as the Grinch, forcefully pushed forward his scooper to pick up the first pile of manure in their path as Cathy and Ger pranced near him, to cheers and laughter.
