News Releases
Video Room
Media Kits
Leadership
Publications
Image Library
Press Archives
2006 Archives
2005 Archives
City Of St. Louis Will Celebrate The Magic Of The New Year
With A Rose Parade Tribute To ‘Home Sweet Home’
Dec. 23, 2005
A Team of Clydesdale Horses Will Pull the Only Horse-Drawn Float in the Parade
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 23, 2005) – When the 117th Rose Parade themed “It’s Magical” marches down historic Colorado Boulevard this year, the City of St. Louis will add some magic of its own with a heartwarming nod to the Midwest. The City of St. Louis will make its 53rd appearance in the Rose Parade with “Home Sweet Home” on Monday, Jan. 2, in observance with the Tournament of Roses “Never on Sunday” tradition.
“Home Sweet Home” will capture Middle America populated by a family on a horse-drawn coach. A Clydesdale foal and miniature donkey will join the family on the float in a setting of trees and gardens in colorful bloom as the coach begins a holiday drive, led by the world-renowned Clydesdales.
“The Rose Parade is a family tradition for us, dating back to 1953,” said Kathy Flanigan Busch O’Kane, co-producer of the City of St. Louis float. “That’s why it’s so special for us to honor the Midwest, where our family has roots, with this gorgeous float.”
The City of St. Louis float, designed by Michelle Lofthouse, will feature an elaborate mix of colorful trees featuring foliage of roses, Dendrobium orchids and chrysanthemums. The house at the rear of the float is built of ground rice and palm bark, with fences of natural split rails accenting a roadway of potato halves.
“It has been a unique privilege to design the City of St. Louis float for this year’s parade, not only because of the magnificent Clydesdales that add so much to the design but because the subject matter is so very dear to me,” Lofthouse said. “I can’t think of a more ‘magical’ place than a country lane surrounded by huge trees, animals and all the good things that are indicative of country life.”
The float also will include 5,000 very special red roses: the ALS Rio Rose™ will be shipped from St. Louis to decorate “Home Sweet Home.” The newly launched ALS Rio Rose was created to bring attention to and raise funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The float will feature St. Louis landmarks including the Bevo Fox and a replica of an archway leading into the Bauernhof at Grant’s Farm. The Bevo Fox graces Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis Bevo Plant built in 1918, which was originally constructed to bottle, package, store and ship “Bevo,” an Anheuser-Busch soft drink at the time. Built in 1913, the Bauernhof was the first building constructed on the Busch family estate now home to Grant’s Farm, a 281-acre family attraction located just south of the city of St. Louis.
The Rose Parade debuted in 1890 and has since become an American holiday tradition. Now, more than 1 million spectators line the parade route to admire the floats adorned in millions of flowers, as well as the award-winning marching bands and equestrian units.
“The Rose Parade is something we look forward to every year,” said Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl, co-producer of the City of St. Louis float. “Michelle (Lofthouse) has outdone herself yet again. Each year’s float is more beautiful than the last.”
In keeping with the tradition of entering a non-motorized float in the Rose Parade, the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales once again will pull the City of St. Louis float. The majestic, eight-horse team of Clydesdales will bring “Home Sweet Home” to parade viewers in Pasadena and around the world.
Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl and Kathy Flanigan Busch O’Kane, granddaughters of the late August A. Busch, Jr., St. Louis businessman and philanthropist, have co-produced the float for the City of St. Louis for more than a decade. They follow in the footsteps of their mother, Carlota “Lotsie” Busch Webster, who introduced the City of St. Louis float and the Clydesdales to the parade in 1953.
Over the past 52 years, the City of St. Louis float has captured 25 awards in the Rose Parade, including 14 National and three Queen’s awards. Most recently, the City of St. Louis won the 2005 Judges’ Special Award for “outstanding showmanship and dramatic impact” for its “Harvest Celebration” float.
Dec. 23, 2005
A Team of Clydesdale Horses Will Pull the Only Horse-Drawn Float in the Parade
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 23, 2005) – When the 117th Rose Parade themed “It’s Magical” marches down historic Colorado Boulevard this year, the City of St. Louis will add some magic of its own with a heartwarming nod to the Midwest. The City of St. Louis will make its 53rd appearance in the Rose Parade with “Home Sweet Home” on Monday, Jan. 2, in observance with the Tournament of Roses “Never on Sunday” tradition.
“Home Sweet Home” will capture Middle America populated by a family on a horse-drawn coach. A Clydesdale foal and miniature donkey will join the family on the float in a setting of trees and gardens in colorful bloom as the coach begins a holiday drive, led by the world-renowned Clydesdales.
“The Rose Parade is a family tradition for us, dating back to 1953,” said Kathy Flanigan Busch O’Kane, co-producer of the City of St. Louis float. “That’s why it’s so special for us to honor the Midwest, where our family has roots, with this gorgeous float.”
The City of St. Louis float, designed by Michelle Lofthouse, will feature an elaborate mix of colorful trees featuring foliage of roses, Dendrobium orchids and chrysanthemums. The house at the rear of the float is built of ground rice and palm bark, with fences of natural split rails accenting a roadway of potato halves.
“It has been a unique privilege to design the City of St. Louis float for this year’s parade, not only because of the magnificent Clydesdales that add so much to the design but because the subject matter is so very dear to me,” Lofthouse said. “I can’t think of a more ‘magical’ place than a country lane surrounded by huge trees, animals and all the good things that are indicative of country life.”
The float also will include 5,000 very special red roses: the ALS Rio Rose™ will be shipped from St. Louis to decorate “Home Sweet Home.” The newly launched ALS Rio Rose was created to bring attention to and raise funds for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The float will feature St. Louis landmarks including the Bevo Fox and a replica of an archway leading into the Bauernhof at Grant’s Farm. The Bevo Fox graces Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis Bevo Plant built in 1918, which was originally constructed to bottle, package, store and ship “Bevo,” an Anheuser-Busch soft drink at the time. Built in 1913, the Bauernhof was the first building constructed on the Busch family estate now home to Grant’s Farm, a 281-acre family attraction located just south of the city of St. Louis.
The Rose Parade debuted in 1890 and has since become an American holiday tradition. Now, more than 1 million spectators line the parade route to admire the floats adorned in millions of flowers, as well as the award-winning marching bands and equestrian units.
“The Rose Parade is something we look forward to every year,” said Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl, co-producer of the City of St. Louis float. “Michelle (Lofthouse) has outdone herself yet again. Each year’s float is more beautiful than the last.”
In keeping with the tradition of entering a non-motorized float in the Rose Parade, the world-famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales once again will pull the City of St. Louis float. The majestic, eight-horse team of Clydesdales will bring “Home Sweet Home” to parade viewers in Pasadena and around the world.
Karen Flanigan Busch Buhl and Kathy Flanigan Busch O’Kane, granddaughters of the late August A. Busch, Jr., St. Louis businessman and philanthropist, have co-produced the float for the City of St. Louis for more than a decade. They follow in the footsteps of their mother, Carlota “Lotsie” Busch Webster, who introduced the City of St. Louis float and the Clydesdales to the parade in 1953.
Over the past 52 years, the City of St. Louis float has captured 25 awards in the Rose Parade, including 14 National and three Queen’s awards. Most recently, the City of St. Louis won the 2005 Judges’ Special Award for “outstanding showmanship and dramatic impact” for its “Harvest Celebration” float.