Rose Parade Gets a Taste of Doo Dah Fun

With one long time parade participant and Doo Dah queen judge, plus the 2009 grand marshal both riding in this year’s Rose Parade— with at least a half dozen other Doo Dah regulars/Occupy protesters tagged on the back for good measure— the pristine and proper parade got a taste of its, not so serious, alter ego.
Ann Erdman, the longtime Public Information Officer for Pasadena and set to retire in March, rode on the Kiwanis International “Winter Wonderland” float. Erdman now holds the title as “first person to ride in both the Doo Dah and Rose Parades.” For about 12 years Erdman rode the pace car at the front of the Doo Dah Parade —then held the last Sunday of November. Erdman has also been a queen judge every year.
Erdman said the idea of riding in the Rose Parade came from a longtime friend Deborah Swartz who runs the Old town Cooking School.
“She came up with the idea, as a combination, welcome back to life and preretirement gift,” Erdman explained. “Her husband Jerram called (Pasadena) Mayor Bill Bogaard and the Mayor spearheaded it from there. He though it was a great idea and started making phone calls.”
Erdman underwent emergency surgery in July after suffering a ruptured colon. She returned to work in October.
Director of libraries, Jan Sanders, Field Rep to the Mayor Judy Kent, Deputy Planning Director Stephanie DeWolfe, council field representative Betty Ho, Editor of the Pasadena Weekly Kevin Uhrich, actor and political talk show host Barry Gordon and others, including Doo Dah organizers Paddy Hurley and Tom Coston, were among those that raised $1,500 needed for Erdman to ride on a float.
Erdman said about 30 friends made up the fundraising collective. Erdman became the city’s PIO in 1991.
Hurley said they were unaware of just how much of a presents the Doo Dah had on this Year’s Rose Parade. “My sister got married on New Year’s eve so I was in St. Louis, Missouri, but I was watching the news and they were interviewing Dan Niswander, about occupy, who is in the Doo Dah, so, yah, I was like I know a ton of people that were there,”
Hurley said pop icon historian Charles Phoenix’s was always outspoken about his dream to be Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade, “He’s now just one step closer to that,” she joked. He was the Doo Dah Grand Marshal in 2009.
“I did a school bus tour of Downey and charged people $75 to take a tour of Downey and the Rose Float Association there were so surprised by that,” Phoenix said about being in the Rose Parade. “That I could get people to pay $75 to take a trip to Downey, they invited me to ride on their float.”
Phoenix said the city of Downey float “enchanted Paradise,” included a fire spewing volcano, a bobble-head tiki, a waterside, three waterfalls and a tiki bar.
Niswander, known as NowMan in Doo Dah, sports a large Blue N and cape, and the satirical group the Billionaires both also marched as part of thousands in the People’s Parade/Occupy the Rose Parade demonstration tagged to the end of the Rose Parade proper. Hurley said the Billionaires have been in Doo Dah about 10 years.
The Doo Dah Parade originated in 1978 when New Year’s fell on a Sunday, as it also did this year, a group of friends decided it would be fun to have an alternate parade on that day due to the Tournament of Roses strict policy of “Never on a Sunday.” Early participants included, Snotty Scotty and the Hankies, the Lawn Mower Drill Team, the Briefcase Drill Team among others. Hurley said this year Doo Dah will be April 28, with queen tryouts April 1.

Photo courtesy of Isabel Chavez