The 1966 Rose Parade - Part 1

What do Walt Disney, Mexico City, Go-Go dancers and The Land of Oz all have in common? They were all part of the 1966 Rose Parade! I thought I would take a break for a while and post on something other than Tokyo Disneyland. I've been going through family photos and slides and came across these shots from the 1966 Rose Parade. The parade's grand marshal that year was Walt Disney (along with Mickey Mouse) and the theme of the parade was, "It's A Small World". At that time, the It's A Small World attraction had already entertained millions of visitors to the 1964/65 New York World's Fair and was scheduled to open later that year at Disneyland in Anaheim.

First up today is "Peacock Throne", which was a float sponsored by the City of Glendale, California.

Next, we have Fess Parker as Davy Crockett standing on the National Rifle Association's Float, entitled "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave". I like the miniature Cherry trees in bloom around the model of the Capitol Building.

Below, we have the National Orange Show's float entitled, "All Aboard."

Next, is Rotary International's float entitled, "A Closer World Through Rotary."

The last entry for today is Mexico's float, promoting the New National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. I wonder if that giant disc at the front of the float is a calendar and if so, I wonder if it goes beyond the year 2012?

I will continue to post photos from this parade up until New Year's Day.....ending with the Disney Studio's float and the parade's grand marshal, Walt Disney himself!