{"id":405,"date":"2010-01-01T14:28:12","date_gmt":"2010-01-01T21:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/?p=405"},"modified":"2016-10-18T22:42:12","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T05:42:12","slug":"rose-parade-a-video-and-a-deadline-print-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/?p=405","title":{"rendered":"I love a parade: Video and deadline print"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/object><\/p>\n

I shot and edited the video, then I woke up ungodly early on New Year’s morning to cover the parade and write the story below.<\/em><\/p>\n

‘Real hero’ Sullenberger leads 2010 Rose Parade<\/a><\/h3>\n

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON | Associated Press Writer<\/p>\n

PASADENA, Calif. \u2013 After a run of celebrity grand marshals, a real American hero led the Rose Parade on Friday.<\/p>\n

Onlookers stood and cheered as Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III rode down Colorado Boulevard<\/span> in a vintage 1928 Pierce Arrow with his wife, Lorrie, and two daughters as part of the annual armada of flower-draped floats, marching bands and prancing horses.<\/p>\n

Sullenberger said he did not hesitate when asked to serve as grand marshal because his family has watched the parade when he was growing up in Texas<\/span>.<\/p>\n

“It’s really an American institution, a celebration of American values,” he said after the parade. “I think people see those in me, and I’m glad.”<\/p>\n

Parade-goer Hilda Roy held a hand-painted, fluorescent sign that read, “We (heart) you Sully!” She waved and screamed the name of the man who landed a stricken jetliner on New York’s Hudson River and was thrilled when Sullenberger waved back.<\/p>\n

“We come every year, but when we found out he was grand marshal, we were really excited,” Roy, 48, said. “He’s a real hero, not just a celebrity, and a real person, too.”<\/p>\n

The 121st Rose Parade had something for everyone.<\/p>\n

Under signature sunny Southern California skies, onlookers gasped when the cannons of Honda’s three-masted, sailing ship float boomed and shot sparklers and smoke rings toward the bleachers.<\/p>\n

A float celebrating Mexico’s bicentennial featured Mexico City’s landmark Angel of Independence and an intricate flower Aztec calendar<\/span>, as well as dancers costumed in traditional regional dress.<\/p>\n

A swarm of children wearing butterfly wings while cruising on inline skates also got a round of applause as they twirled in front of a float depicting the city of Shanghai<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The Kansai Honor Band from Japan<\/span> rallied the crowd with “Thriller” dance moves and a color guard sporting teased hair and kimonos.<\/p>\n

The parade came 20 hours after hundreds of thousands of people began staking out sidewalk space along the route for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration<\/span>. They lugged sleeping bags, lawn chairs and party favors, then spent the night under the light of a rare blue moon \u2014 the second full moon in a month.<\/p>\n

The new year dawned chilly, but brilliant sunshine brought the temperature into the 60s by the time the parade got under way.<\/p>\n

It was peaceful overnight along the route, except for some minor skirmishes. Police spokeswoman Janet Pope-Givens said 37 people had been arrested, mostly for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.<\/p>\n

Jessica Mota, 19, of Pasadena claimed prime parade-watching real estate for about 30 of her friends and relatives. She said she’s been coming to see the parade since she was 10.<\/p>\n

“My little cousins were bouncing around all night, and now they’re passed out,” she said, pointing to some huddled bodies beneath a sleeping bag.<\/p>\n

Among the army of volunteers who help stage the parade, students from Pasadena City College<\/span>High School<\/span> in Pasadena<\/span> had possibly the dirtiest job. and Marantha<\/p>\n

Armed with shovels, overalls and rolling plastic trash cans, they cleaned up after horses in the procession.<\/p>\n

Annie Sommers, a 16-year-old softball player, declared her white coveralls “hopelessly ugly” but accessorized with a plastic flower in her hair, rose earrings and a scarf.<\/p>\n

Despite the work, Sommers said she was happy to participate in the world-famous parade.<\/p>\n

“I’ll try out for rose queen next year,” she joked.<\/p>\n

The selection of Sullenberger as grand marshal was a change from the crowd-pleasing show biz types who’ve led the parade in recent years. Last year, “Dancing With the Stars<\/span>” favorite and 1970s sitcom star Cloris Leachman<\/span> was grand marshal. The year before, it was celebu-chef Emerile Lagasse.<\/p>\n

Sullenberger was chosen to embody the theme of the 2010 parade, “A Cut Above the Rest<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

No one could disagree that he fit the bill perfectly, parade-goer Jessica Osterman said.<\/p>\n

“It’s good that they’re going back to the roots and picking an average person,” said Osterman, 28. “Especially these days, with the recent terrorism attempt, we need a little patriotism. He’s someone we can all agree on.”<\/p>\n

Over the decades, the grand marshal honor has gone to singers, astronauts, athletes, military men and politicians.<\/p>\n

In the early years, parade organizers looked to the film industry in nearby Hollywood for big names to lead the procession. Silent film star and studio founder Mary Pickford<\/span> lead the parade in 1933. Since then, only 10 women have held the title.<\/p>\n

Chief Justice Earl Warren<\/span>, entertainer Bob Hope<\/span> and Richard Nixon<\/span> (before he became president) each led the parade twice, while Shirley Temple<\/span> did it three times in 1939, 1989 and 1999.<\/p>\n

The parade has also had its share of war heroes<\/span>. In 1952, seven Medal of Honor<\/span> awardees shared the honor. World War I<\/span> flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker<\/span> led the parade in 1957.<\/p>\n

More recently, Regis Philbin<\/span>, William Shatner<\/span> and Kermit the Frog<\/span> rode in the lead car and tossed the coin before the Rose Bowl game.<\/p>\n

For Terri Rubio, 58, the selection of Sullenberger was an inspiration.<\/p>\n

“He’s not out to sell himself as a celebrity,” she said. “He’s a common person who’s sticking to his values. He’s cool under fire and saved so many lives.”<\/p>\n

Tournament of Roses<\/span> President Jeff Throop said he wasn’t worried about finding another hero to be grand marshal next year.<\/p>\n

“I think that’s what American life is about,” he said. “Those people rise to the top. They step up and do things.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I shot and edited the video, then I woke up ungodly early on New Year’s morning to cover the parade and write the story below. ‘Real hero’ Sullenberger leads 2010 Rose Parade By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON | Associated Press Writer PASADENA, Calif. \u2013 After a run of celebrity grand marshals, a real American hero led […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,16,5,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=405"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1117,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405\/revisions\/1117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/raquelmariadillon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}