(NAPSA)—With guitar, keyboard, drums and saxophones all in tune, the stage set and sound check completed, a leading soft drink company is ready to rock the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2002. Rock Concert—the entry from Dr Pepper, makingits 44th consecutive appearance in the parade— amplifies the 2002 tournament theme, Good Times. The 55-footlong, 28-foot-high and 18-foot-wide float will play host to the rock concert of the century, and is expected to receive numerous encores from the crowd. Whether plugged in or tuned out, rock and roll will never die— or, in this creative floral presentation, even become extinct. Humor- ously depicted, the first rock concert is about to begin as The Rockin’ Rollers, a Neanderthal cave-boy power rock group, takes center stage. This super group’s “mammoth” success sits mainly on their woolly horn section that really puts the “heavy” in heavy metal. “Our 2002 Rose Parade entry is meant to bring out the rock and roll fan in all of us,” said Philippa Dworkin, Dr Pepper vice president, corporate communications. “Dr Pepper has always struck a good chord with the parade’s audience. This year’s parade theme has allowed us to remind everyone to let the good times roll through musical entertainment.” Personifying classic rock music that continues to evolve, the mem- bers of the caveman band—with skin tones of crushed walnut shells, cinnamon, paprika and cornmeal—will be dressed in animal skins of golden strawflower and marigold petals. The two woolly mammothswill be artistically decorated in chopped In the annual Tournament of Roses Parade, float presenters will let the goodtimesroll. Spanish and Ming moss with dangling hair strands created from full stems of heather, Bombay and Caesar dendrobium orchids. Additional floral components that make up the base of the float’s deck will consist of colorful and lush rose gardens in rich peach and coral tones of Osiana, Arianna and Sonia. In addition, there will be a Peek-a-boo cascade through fanciful floral clusters of bromeliad plants, Bihia, Pagoda and Caribaea heliconia, Curcuma and Spectabilis ginger, King and Pink Mink protea with accents of green Cymbidium orchids. The synchronized animation of the cavemen and woolly mammoths will be accomplished with the use of a highly sophisticated, computerized hydraulic system. The animated movements will be programmed and synchronized on a musical computer “brick” installed within the control system of the computer. The float is being built by Fiesta Parade Floats, and marks the 12th consecutive year the Duarte, Calif., company has constructed Dr Pepper’s Rose Parade float. “Dr Pepper has always encouraged us to be creative and unique when designing the company’s Rose Parade float,” said Tim Estes, president of Fiesta Parade Floats. “This year’s float serves as a symbol that all good things in life, like rock and roll, will never die, but instead continue to evolve.” The annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Paradeis hailed as the most photographed andtelevised annual event in the world, and reaches a live audience of approximately 350 million people worldwide who, together, bring in the new year. “Since the Parade’s inception in 1889, the Parade has become internationally known as a midwinter burst of color,” stated Dworkin. “We are proud to be a part of the 113-yeartradition.” For more information about the company and its brands, visit www.dpsu.com.
