HomeCity NewsResident Helps Secure Successful New Year’s Parade

Resident Helps Secure Successful New Year’s Parade

First published in the Jan. 7 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.

By Andres de Ocampo
Glendale News-Press

Longtime Glendale resident Shawn Baggett has worked as a bodyguard for honored guests of the Rose Parade for the past five years and noticed this year’s parade seemed to finally return to pre-pandemic glory with an amped up atmosphere.
The 134th Tournament of Roses Parade welcomed hundreds of thousands of families back for another year of local and national tradition on Monday, but this time without COVID-19 restrictions.
Baggett has become very familiar with the Rose Parade route after years of bodyguarding Grand Marshals, the Pasadena mayor and other people of interest along the 5 ½ mile stretch of Colorado Boulevard. Baggett works as private security for celebrities and with Allied Universal, the event security company contracted for the Rose Parade.
“We escort all of the cars,” Baggett said about the security team’s task during the parade. “From the mayor [of Pasadena], to the Grand Marshal, to the president of the Rose Parade. [This year,] I was supposed to be with the mayor’s car, but the car broke down outside of the Tournament house,” he said.
Though his initial task was to guard the mayor of Pasadena and others in the car, like actor Danny Trejo, the mayor and Trejo decided to walk the parade route, Baggett said.
“We followed the mayor because that’s what we were hired for but we had to make sure Danny [Trejo] was OK, too. It kind of became a two-person job. Danny and the mayor decided to walk the route for a bit … [but Trejo] decided to walk almost the entire parade route,” he added.
Baggett said this was his first time working with Trejo and the unexpected turn of events led to him escorting Trejo on foot along the entire parade route, making for some memorable stories.
“For a [78-year-old], he’s in good shape,” Baggett said laughing about the experience.
“[Trejo’s] a cool guy. He talked to us and had conversations with us. … In the five years that I’ve done this, I’ve never seen an actor get out of the car and walk the entire parade route,” he said.
At one point, about halfway through the parade route, Baggett remembers Trejo asking to climb aboard the Blue Diamond Growers float to wave to the crowd and throw roses to the crowd of Rose Parade attendees.
“Danny’s cool. He’s a nice guy,” Baggett said about another moment the “Machete” actor bought “a whole bunch” of hats from a vendor and handed them out to kids watching the parade. “Danny almost became the Grand Marshal the way he presented himself. … He’s good to his fans.”

TOURNAMENT OF ROSES 134th PARADE

Photo courtesy Shawn Baggett
Los Angeles actor Danny Trejo and Rose Parade security guard Shawn Baggett walk the 5 ½ mile Tournament of Roses Parade route.

According to the city of Pasadena, more than 800,000 people from all over the world converge onto Pasadena in the days leading up to the New Year to witness the Rose Parade, which this year returned without COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Parade watchers flooded into the cross streets of Orange Grove and Colorado boulevards to witness the annual New Year’s tradition, with its history spanning back to the 1800s.
Even at 6 a.m., the anticipation for the parade was heightened by the sold-out Rose Bowl football game later in the day between Pennsylvania State and Utah State universities.
Parade attendee Patrice Van Dam just turned 50 and has grown up wanting to go to the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game. This year, she finally made it to her first one because of her son, who is a student at Utah State University.
“The Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade is a bucket list of mine. My son goes to University of Utah and I splurged,” Van Dam said, dressed in her Utah gear. “Growing up in [Northern] California, I’ve always wanted to go … this is the perfect experience. … It’s been super fun, we came down and it’s an amazing vibe.”
Van Dam was speaking with Kristie Mendoza, a Pomona resident, before the Rose Parade started.
“I helped build the El Salvador float when I was pregnant with my son, who is now 28, so I love coming here every year. This is the thing I do,” Mendoza said.
“A friend of my daughter helped us get tickets and I’ve never been this close to everything. … I love the energy, being down here, we’re so excited. Not wearing any masks, I can meet someone new and not be so concerned. We can see people smile again,” she said.
The theme of the Rose Parade 2023 was “Turning the Corner,” in reference to the corner where rose floats, marching bands, equestrian groups and others turn right on Orange Grove onto Colorado, but also a nod to moving beyond the pandemic.
Though many attendees can be found packed into bleachers, walking along the stretch of Orange Boulevard, families had also camped out as a longtime tradition or spontaneous outing.
Lake Forest resident Juan Rodriguez sat with his two children in a tent that they camped out on Orange Grove Boulevard.
“This is the second year I’ve been here — it’s the first year with my kids. We camped by tent. … and it’s been a great experience with the kids,” said Rodriguez, noting that he’s trying to make attending the Rose Parade a tradition for his children. “I recommend that people bring their family and enjoy the parade because it’s an amazing experience. Especially when you have little kids, they will never forget this experience.”
His son, 5th-grader Joshua, said he was excited to see the Rose Parade in person after only seeing it on TV. His sister, Yadaira, who is in 3rd grade, said she was also excited to camp out for the event and had asked her dad “to see the Rose Parade in real life.”
South Pasadena resident Christina Vaughan said her experience camping out for the Rose Parade to be memorable.
Vaughan began camping out almost 24 hours before the start of the Rose Parade and had not left since, sleeping on thin-cushioned mats and insulated blankets with her family. She was joined by her two sisters, her daughter and their children. Though it was colder than she had expected, there were some fun parts to camping out, like meeting their neighbor campers.
Jim and Dyana Geddie were camped out across the street from the Vaughans.
Dyana Geddie grew up in Pasadena, very close to the Rose Parade route, and came out to the event every year. For the past 25 years, the Geddies have camped out after they started taking their son.
“It’s a tradition in our family — for the last 50 years, we’ve come as a family and now we bring our kids and hope to bring our grandkids soon,” she said.
Since that time, her family has returned to the same spot for 23 years on Orange Grove Boulevard.
Jim Geddie also noted, “It’s always fun and it’s a tradition. The whole family comes out and we spend time together. … You get to know everyone all around you. We’ve known some of these people, even if they’re not family, for years and we take pictures with them. Some of them are here, some of them have passed on but it’s still good to see everybody once a year and spend one day together. It’s a family atmosphere,” he said.
“You just sit around and play games and laugh all night … when the street closes down, it’s touch football in the street,” he said.
“Everyone in their life has to see the Rose Parade in person at least once,” Dyana Geddie added.

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