Wrigley Mansion, chewing gum mogul William Wrigley Jr.'s stately 1914 home on Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif., has served as the official Tournament House, headquarters of the Tournament of Roses, since 1958.
Wrigley Gardens feature 4.5 acres of more than 1,500 varieties of roses, camellias and annuals. We took a little tour:
Even if football is more your thing than flowers, you ultimately have roses to thank for the Rose Bowl. The city of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club dreamed up the event in 1890 as a way of luring frostbitten east coast residents out west for a visit.
“In New York, people are buried in snow,” Professor Charles F. Holder declared at a Club meeting, according to tournament history. “Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.”
Football didn’t show up until 1902 (Michigan over Stanford, 49-0) and wasn’t a permanent fixture until 1916.
This year's parade theme is "Making a Difference," and actor Gary Sinise, known for his role as Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump,"among other roles, in addition to his philanthropic work on behalf of veterans, is grand marshal.
The event starts at 5 a.m. Monday, ahead of the UGA-Oklahoma match-up at 2 p.m.
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