South Bay : Keeping Parade Entry Afloat Is a Challenge

It’s been the pride of Torrance, the rose-bedecked float crafted by hundreds of volunteers each year for the Tournament of Roses parade.

Now this tradition may fall prey to a fiscal frost. As budget-conscious officials prune back city support, float supporters worry where to find the money for future shows-on-wheels.

Since 1992, when the city picked up the entire $80,000 tab for the float, public funding has steadily dwindled and will account for $45,000 next year. An additional $10,000 is to be raised by the Torrance Rose Float Assn., with the Torrance Youth Council donating $5,000.

“What the city would like to do is make it totally self-sustaining, which is very, very difficult,” said Gary Schmidt, City Hall’s float liaison.

So organizers are brushing up on their fund-raising skills and hunting for a generous corporate sponsor. Unfazed and upbeat, the float association last month announced its 1996 design choice, a Victorian jack-in-the-box containing a 22-foot-high jester.

Even in these frugal times, the Torrance float has garnered trophies in the last two parades. Association President Kathryn Roberts said: “That’s our slogan this year--help us go three in a row.”