Rain Bird Corp. one paw closer to 116th Tournament of Roses Parade

Rain Bird's Tournament of Roses Parade float entry, Playful Pandamonium, takes an early test run in Duarte, Calif.

DUARTE, CA - Rain Bird Corp. officially kicked off its run for the roses on Nov. 6 with a test run of its 2005 float entry, Playful Pandamonium. The New Year's Day parade will journey down Colorado Boulevard.

This marks the ninth year Rain Bird has participated in the New Year's Day classic, having won eight previous awards including the Grand Marshal's Trophy in 2004.

?EUR??,,????'??The final test run is an opportunity for the Tournament of Roses and Fiesta Parade Floats to ensure that the floats are road-worthy and will not present any significant mechanical or structural problems,?EUR??,,????'?? said Tim Estes, president and CEO of Fiesta Parade Floats.

?EUR??,,????'??Rain Bird's float entries always present an engineering challenge and Playful Pandamonium is not exception with its eight separate waterfalls circulating over 1,500 gallons of flowing and cascading water, 24 high-pressure misting nozzles to re-create the mist of a bamboo forest, and a complex system of hydraulics used to simulate realistic movements of the giant pandas.?EUR??,,????'??