Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1937-01-21
GETTING DOWN 10
"BkASS
JUST ANOTHER INSTALLMENT

resolve to pound out copy for Brass
Tacks every week while on a vaca-
ton trip about the country is about
like keeping promises to write
home" real often when you're on a
trip. You keep putting it off from
day to day, resolving that "to-mor-
row" will be the day. And those
"to-morrow's'' roll round all too
quick-both for writing and for
writing fms to enjoyable vacations.
When you go west for a vacation,
there are three things you should
place at the top of your list to e
before you return. These I'm going
to tell you a little about this week.
The far-famed Rose Tournament;
the new San Francisco Bay bridge,
and Boulder dam. So far at least,
trip just filled with enhancing and
educational experiences, and | doubt
that anything will be seen to change
that ranking. 1t takes more super
latives than are at my feeble COM
mand to do justice to such a gor-
geous display as the Rose Festival
parade to be seen any New Years
day in Pasadena. You who have
looked upon n will realize what
mean; those OF you who are less for
tunate and must still look forward
to that experience must see it to
really appreciate its beauty.
Starting to gain a suitable van-
tage point for the spectacle at day
light from a point some 80 miles
distant, we were first impressed by
the fact that yards were covered
with white frost and many tender
plants showed un%disputable signs of
the whitening effects of the biting
cold. Friends were able to convince
us that this really was exceptional"
weather for California. Following
five successive days of heavy rain
fall, and even contrary to the wea-
therman's prediction of continued
rain" aside from the unusual cold,
the sun climbed above the eastern
horizon in a beautiful golden hue.
providing an ideal setting for the
big parade, scheduled to start
promptly at $50. Fortunately our
position could hardly have been i'm
proved for viewing the event. We
had read accounts OF the Rose Tour
nament year after year in newspap-
ers, had listened to the annual
broadcast over radio in more recent
years. describing the crowds, but
here we learned that, to really APP
preciate 1t, one must see 1t.
Crowds literally poured into the
city from every direction hours be-
fore the time for starting in order
to claim seats in the "unreserved
section along the broad streets or
perch themselves on buildings. Ii
you came in a car, you were lucky
to get within a mile Of the parade
at any point. You either sat or stood
along the route of march or occu-
pied one of the "grandstand" seats
which had born the sold out sign
for several days at from two % hve
dollars per. We stood. And liked 1t,
No parade could possibly be hand
led more efficiently. Hundreds of Of
dcers from Los Angeles helped keen
the surging but orderly crowds back
on a wide white line a few feet
in front of the curb. Trucks piled
ND and down with folding chairs for
already weary legs, but didn't seem
to do a very thriving business. Other
city trucks went up and down gath
ering UP boxes which had been aD-
andoned to avoid accidents. How
did that car get over there?' But
we soon found it was all a mistake
when a city wrecker appeared and
towed it into some convenient park
ing space. In strange contrast were
along with shaggy newsboys, vend-
ors of ice cream and hot dogs The
little bell on the ice cream push
cart even tinkled too feebly to warm
ones appetite.
There they comet" Fortunately
we had a fine pair of field glasses.
Far down the broad avenue we
could see a Gordon of snowwhite
horses proudly prancing at the head
of the big procession, which had
gotten under way just ten minutes
from the announced time. Then
came the colors of our country. fol
lowed by d%ignitaries of state, coun-
ty and city, and the first float, when
of course gave honor to the queen
Romance had been chosen as the
theme of the parade; and each o.
told its own love story in flowers
Hundreds of thousands of blossoms
woven into coverings of huge frames
some of which required nldder
tractors to motivate-that provIoec
the most gorgeous settings for tn
various interpretations of the day
theme, were i~nterspersed with Danu'
and attractive horses. 1t is SAID that
to have the flowers appear in thel
freshest array of glory, hundreds o
workers toll all night just Defor'
they are used. Then then are lei