Laura Farber – Outlook Newspapers

Photos courtesy Tournament of Roses
Laura Farber, chair of the Rose Bowl Management Committee, oversees the coin toss at the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl Game, when she was Tournament of Roses president. Although the 2021 Rose Parade has been canceled, hopes are still high that there will be a 107th Rose Bowl Game.

Pasadena Tournament of Roses Past President Laura Farber still believes in “The Power of Hope.”
Months after her reign as president, the theme she chose for the 131st 2020 Rose Parade seems more poignant than ever amid the global pandemic and resulting shutdowns that have paralyzed society and led to the cancellation of the iconic 132nd parade on New Year’s Day.
Parade officials last week cited Gov. Gavin Newsom’s phase 4 reopening schedule, health restrictions enacted to slow the spread of coronavirus and interruption of the lengthy preparation needed by participants as their reason for canceling the 2021 parade. But there is still hope that the 107th Rose Bowl Game, “the Granddaddy of Them All,” will deliver an exciting collegiate contest to fans starving for entertainment — and sports.
Continue reading “Past President Still a Force in Tournament of Roses”

102nd Rose Queen Reflects on Her Reign of Honor

Photo courtesy Tournament of Roses
2020 Tournament of Roses President Laura Farber crowns La Salle College Preparatory senior Camille Kennedy as the 102nd Rose Queen amid much fanfare at the Pasadena Playhouse in October.

It’s hard to believe for 102nd Rose Queen Camille Kennedy, but in less than a week, on Wednesday, Jan. 1, she’ll embark on a trip down Colorado Boulevard with the Royal Court for their greatest show yet at the 131st Rose Parade, waving to nearly 700,000 people and an estimated 65 million television viewers.
For the La Salle College Preparatory senior it’s been a journey: In a little more than two months, she and the six princesses have attended about 130 community and media functions, serving as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena community and the Greater Los Angeles area.
“It’s been just a really incredible time, pretty crazy, but really, really great,” Kennedy mused from Tournament House. She’d just finished her semester finals at La Salle that day, and relief washed over her. Now she could focus on the grand finale and enjoying her last moments of the year with court members, with whom she’s grown very close. Continue reading “Tournament of Roses Preps for New Year’s Parade, Bowl Game”