Mike Matthiessen, president of the Tournament of Roses, on Tuesday announces a partnership with the National Park Service for the 2016 Ros...
Mike Matthiessen, president of the Tournament of Roses, on Tuesday announces a partnership with the National Park Service for the 2016 Rose Parade. Walt Mancini — Staff PhotographerColorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day 2016 will be the scene of a 100th birthday party of sorts, as the Rose Parade announced Tuesday it will team with the National Park Service in a celebration of the latter’s centennial year.
It’s a first for the Tournament of Roses which, although presented by Honda, has never joined forces with another organization.
“We are delighted to form this historic partnership that will bring about a great level of visibility to the National Park Service on the first day of our centennial year,” said NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis in a statement Tuesday. “Our relationship is a tribute to our mutual commitment to engaging America’s youth, supporting an ethic of volunteerism and embracing diversity of American culture.”
The parade theme, “Find Your Adventure,” was coined to coincide with the NPS’ “Find Your Park,” a two-year public campaign highlighting the centennial, which is officially in August 2016.
“We’re excited to be working with the Tournament,” said Clarence Fluker, NPS’ centennial public affairs specialist.
Parks officials will coordinate closely with parade planners to showcase the parade’s theme.
“We will be working with float builders, helping inspire them,” said Michael Liang, visual info specialist with the Santa Monica Mountains (SMM) National Recreation Area. “We’ll talk about the Underground Railroad, Yosemite. NPS preserves not only landscapes but these stories that are the core of America’s identity.”
The NPS cares for 405 national parks and works to preserve local history. As part of the partnership and the campaign, several parks employees will help spread the word, Fluker said.
Liang hoped parks such as the Santa Monica Mountains, which are important to local communities, have a chance to shine on New Year’s Day. “We have about 17 million people within an hour’s drive of the Santa Monica Mountains,” he said. “We live in an area where we have traffic and the stresses of urban life, and the mountains offer respite and retreat from that.”
The area features 500 miles of trails to explore, Liang said, including one that is about 65 miles long, with plenty of regular visitors each week.
“There are also some cultural things to do,” he added. “At Rancho Sierra Vista, there is the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center, where people can learn about the Chumash and Tongva/Gabrielino tribes, who lived in the area for many years.”
Then there’s Paramount Ranch, which looks like an old western town, he said. Many notable television shows and movies were filmed on the land, as the diverse terrain lends itself to transformation into a colonial town or even ancient China. Most recently, scenes for “American Sniper” were shot there.
Liang and Kate Kuykendall, a public affairs officer for the Santa Monica Mountains, will serve as centennial ambassadors and join in the planning over the next year.
“By teaming up with the National Park Service, we hope to illuminate how communities across the country can uncover enriching adventures,” said Tournament of Roses President Mike Matthiessen.
For more information about the Rose Parade, visit www.tournamentofroses.com. For more on the NPS, visit www.nps.gov.
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