0 Page Four THE MICHIGAN DAILY Friday, January 7, 1977 Page Four THE MICHIGAN DAILY .......... Rose Bowl Parade: The cain By PAULINE LUBENS It almost rained on their parade. For the first time in 23 years it look- ed like rain and the Los Angeles area was buzzing with speculation as to what the Rose Parade officials in Pasadena were planning to do. The only sure thing was that the show would go on. What would New Years Day be without a Rose Bowl Parade? BUT BY FRIDAY afternoon word came down that the weather would clear and somewhere in Pasadena a collec- before the storm tive sigh of relief could be heard. Slowly parade junkies drifted into town to stake their claims to curb spaces and sidewalk spots which would serve as their choice seats in the annual gala event which this year was to herald the coming of the battle between Michigan and the University of Southern Califor- nia (USC). The die-hards staged an all night vigil to hang onto their precious curbside claims and by early morning, as the California sun came creeping over the top of the Rose Bowl stadium, the pa- rade route was lined with sleeping bags, cots, lawn chairs and living room chairs filled with bleary eyed, semi-conscious survivors. Scratching their heads and yawning, they squinted as they eyed latecomers and those who had come in style clutching $15 grandstand tick- ets. Some campers lay curled up in- side their sleeping bags or under blank- ets, and slept soundly through the parade after staying up all night to secure a good seat. BY 8:30 THE SHOW was on and the 1977 Grand Marshalls of the Tourna- ment of Roses, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, rolled down South Orange Boule- vard waving to the crowd as they led the pack of bands and floats which were to stream down Colorodo Avenue for the next two hours. The brightly-colored, flower-filled floats drew cheers and applause from the crowd as ;they strode by carrying smiling young women or famous stars such as Donny and Marie Osmond. Roses of all sizes and colors had been clustered to form everything from a group of eight bicyclists, which tow- ered over fifty feet above the specta- Photography by Scott Eccker and Pauline Lubens tors, to a music box playing a med- ley of tunes as dancers kicked up their heels in time on either side. BATON TWIRLERS from as far Indiana grinned and waved as they hurl- ed their batons in the air while lead- ing their high school bands down the street for the hometown folks to watch on television. Partisans did their bit as the Michi- gan and USC bands marched by and the cheerleaders whipped I the football fans into a little pre-game frenzy. At one point early in 'the parade an uninvited guest was whisked *off the street by parade ushers after an el- derly man dressed in an Uncle 'Sam costume was spotted marching closely behind a float. AS THE LAST FLOAT headed down the five mile long route the bpecta- tors poured into the street heading for their cars or lunches and leaving the area strewn with trash. Chairs, clothing, paper and food lay scattered along the curbs and covered the sidewalk, wait- ing for street cleaners to clear it all away until, next year. Parade goers gradually headed over to the stadium where the meat of the New Year's Day matter was in Pasa- dena. The parade had just been icing on the cake for most fans. BUT, BY THE END of the day, the dark clouds that had threatened to rain on the parade hung gloomily- over the Michigan bench. Once again the Wolver- ines had missed that elusive national title they seered destined to win at last. They had taken the big one from -the guy in Columbus and Pasadena had at last become a reality. But they never quite made it all the way. So close, but yet so far. "f I I