The Seal Beach Centennial Float committee and its 501c3 fiscal sponsor, Alpenglow Hospice Foundation, are pleased to announce the launch of their fund raising campaign and opportunity drawing!
A website has been constructed at www.SealBeachRoses2015.com that will accept donations and will automatically enter those participants in an opportunity drawing that will result in four winners and their guests riding on the Seal Beach Centennial Float on New Year’s day at the 126th Rose Parade® in Pasadena, California.
A limited amount of tickets have been made available to help the float Committee raise the $300,000 required to fund the design and construction of the float.
In addition to the opportunity drawing, the float committee is also accepting tax-deductible donations from corporate and private sponsors. Plans for merchandise sales are also in the works.
2015 will mark 101 years since Seal Beach’s first appearance in the parade and will also mark the fourth time Seal Beach has participated in the Rose Parade® over all. According to the Rose Parade® Archives, the first float was entered on January 1, 1914, before Seal Beach even became an incorporated city.
The city entered the parade again in 1950 with a float titled “Our American Indian,” and again in 1951 with a float titled “Beach Fun.” Photos of these floats are available on the Media Page of the fund raising website. This year’s parade theme will be “Inspiring Stories” and the Seal Beach float will honor that theme in their pending design.
“I am excited and humbled by the momentum and support from the people of Seal Beach. This Centennial Float could possibly be one of the most exciting events ever for our city and I am privileged to be a part of it,” said Robert Aguilar Jr., Float Committee chair.
“The float is wonderful idea and I know people are really excited about it,” said Seal Beach’s Mayor, Ellery Deaton in an email addressed to the committee chair.
“We’re super excited. Kudos to you for taking on such an endeavor in the spirit of love for your community,” said City Manager Jill Ingram.
The 10-member Centennial Float Advisory Committee will be meeting soon to discuss theme and design options for the float, and will also consult with the talented float designers at Paradiso Parade Floats.
They are one of four approved vendors for the Roses Parade and are responsible for the show stopping Public Storage Float from 2014 titled “Adventures in Space,” and also designed and constructed the centennial float for the City of San Gabriel.
Residents of Seal Beach are also encouraged to send in their float design ideas to SealBeachRoses2015@gmail.com. All ideas will be considered and should comply with the “Inspiring Stories” theme of the parade as well as represent the spirit of Seal Beach.
Volunteers will be needed, as they get closer to the building days for the float. Interested participants can visit the Volunteer link on the fund raising website to register.
Registration will also include you in all correspondence regarding the progress of the fund raising campaign and other important events. If you have already contacted the float committee by way of email your information has been included on the volunteer list.
Interested fans can also follow the progress of the float on the “Seal Beach Roses” Facebook and Twitter pages. Facebook.com/SealBeachRoses2015 and Twitter.com/SBRoses2015.
