Alternative Health and Wellness New Mexico style

2006 Tournament of Roses® Parade Float "It's Magical"

magical"New Mexico: America’s Land of Enchantment" will enchant more than a million folks in person and millions more in 75 countries and territories and around the world watching on television when it heads down Pasadena, Calif.’s famed Colorado Boulevard as a float in the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade, the nation’s most renowned New Year’s celebration.

"On January 2, 2006, the world will focus its attention on Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game," said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. "The Tournament of Roses is a true American New Year’s tradition and New Mexico will be there for the first time ever, greeting the world as it ushers in the new year. New Mexico will be one of only two states in the 2006 parade."

The Tournament of Roses Parade - themed "It's Magical" - will be broadcast on ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, HGTV, Telemundo, Travel Channel, Discovery HD and KTLA in the Los Angeles area, beginning at 9 a.m. MST.

"It's a festival of flowers, music and sports unequaled anywhere in the world," said Michael Cerletti, NMTD secretary. "We will use this incredible opportunity to extend an open invitation for all to come visit our Land of Enchantment."

According to Tournament of Roses officials, 50 million Americans watch the Rose Parade on TV, along with millions of international viewers. The combined ratings for the live and the various rebroadcasts of the 2004 Rose Parade was around 22 million households. In addition, more than 100,000 people visit the Post Parade Float Viewing in the two-and-a-half days following the Rose Parade.

The parade features three types of entries, including floral floats entered by a participating corporation or community organization, such as NMTD. Each float must conform to certain regulations in the areas of height, width, length and thematic design and the entire surface must be covered using a variety of flowers, seeds, bark, leaves and other natural materials. Most floats are controlled with the aid of internal, computer-driven hydraulics and are entered in the parade on behalf of a corporation, city, or organization.

Most of the parade’s float participants have a long history with the Tournament of Roses and have made repeated appearances in the parade. Although a few floats are still built by volunteers from their sponsoring communities, most are built by professional float building companies. NMTD has been in contact with a number of float building contractors and expects to select one soon.

"This event will allow us to become a stronger presence in Southern California, which has always been one of our major markets," Secretary Cerletti said. "Our entry into the Tournament of Roses Parade will become the centerpiece of a two-week marketing trip that will include promotional stops throughout Southern California and Arizona, both before and after the Parade. We look forward to having our tourism partners in New Mexico join us in what promises to be a very rewarding trip – and a whole lot of fun."