The Central Coast is represented in the 2023 Rose Parade
The Cal Poly Rose Float team will parade down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena as the first of the judged floats in the 2023 Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday, Jan. 2.
This is Annie Doody’s childhood ambition and she is the Rose Float President at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
“When I was around eight years old, I started volunteering at Cal Poly as a Girl Scout. Our troop was allowed to assist with the float thanks to the efforts of my Girl Scout troop leader, a Cal Poly SLO alumna, she told KSBY.
Doody continued her volunteer work every year until she enrolled at Cal Poly. She managed a group of 40 crew members and hundreds of volunteers who worked on the float this year.
She remarked, “I don’t know if my eight-year-old self would believe me, but she’d probably think it was pretty awesome if I told her, hey, you’re going to be in control of all this one day.
This year’s float, “Road to Reclamation,” embodies the parade’s “Turning a Corner” theme. The team’s interpretation of the concept was represented by a nursing log, a downed tree limb given new life.