Parade floats were first introduced in the Middle Ages. Churches used pageant wagons as movable scenery for passion plays, and craftsmen with artisan guilds built pageant wagons for their specified craft. The wagons were pulled throughout the town, most notably during Corpus Christi in which up to 48 wagons were used, one for each play in the Corpus Christi cycle.
They are so named because the first floats were decorated barges on the River Thames for the Lord Mayor's Show.
The largest float ever exhibited in a parade was a 116-foot-long entry in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade that featured Tillman the skateboarding bulldog (and some of his friends) surfing in an 80-foot-long (24 m) ocean of water. The water tank held over 6,600 US gallons on a float weighing more than 100,000 pounds. It broke the previous record for the longest single-chassis parade float, which was set in 2010 by the same sponsor.
The dogs trained for three months prior to the float's debut at the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 2, 2012. A specially designed “wave” machine was incorporated into the design of the float which created a wave every minute.
Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club first staged the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1890. Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American East and Midwest. They wished to showcase their new California homes' mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."
And so the Club organized horse-drawn carriages covered in flowers, followed by foot races, polo matches, and a game of tug-of-war on the town lot. They attracted a crowd of 2000 to the event. Upon seeing the scores of flowers on display, the Professor decided to suggest the name "Tournament of Roses."
The Battle of Flowers parade is in San Antonio, Texas is the only parade in the United States produced entirely by women, all of whom are volunteers. The parade is the oldest event and largest parade of Fiesta San Antonio. The original purpose of the parade was to honor the heroes of the Alamo. In keeping with this tradition, participants are asked to place a flower tribute on the lawn of the Alamo as they pass by.
- 6 slices bacon
- 6 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country-style bread
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt for sprinkling
- Black pepper for sprinkling
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400º. Place bacon in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, let cool slightly, then coarsely crumble.
- Meanwhile, coat another baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Using a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass, make a hole in the center of each bread slice. Butter one side of each slice and place on baking sheet, buttered side down. Lightly butter top side.
- Gently crack an egg into each bread hole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Cook 12 to 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your desired doneness. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion, if desired, and serve immediately.
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From Guinness World Records...The largest hamburger weighs 2,566 lb 9 oz and was achieved by Wolfgang Leeb, Tom Reicheneder, Rudi Dietl, Josef Zellner, Hans Maurer and Christian Dischinger (all Germany) in Pilsting, Germany, on 9 July 2017.The hamburger consisted of three meat patties, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, hamburger sauce and a bun.
HOW TO OBSERVE
- bleu cheese
- coleslaw
- avocado
- fried egg
- barbecue and peanut butter
- mac & cheese
