Today was a big day for Scouting, the kick off of the 100th Anniversary celebration!  The Boy Scouts of America entered a float in the 2010 Tournament of Roses parade accompanied by 300 Eagle Scouts on foot.  (remember the sneak peek of the float we provided back in October?)

The float was the first entered by “corporate BSA” in over sixty years.  The Examiner has a slide show featuring the Boy Scout floats from 1938, 1941, and 1950.  Even though there hasn’t been a float in a while, Boy Scouts have been a big part of the parade, carry the entry banners with the Girl Scouts, since the 1960s.

The 2010 float was created by volunteers from area Councils, and gained some media attention for getting around the age restrictions.  The float was also was the recipient of the National Award, which is for the “Best Depiction of Life in the USA, Past, Present or Future.”

In case you missed it, here is part 8 of the parade that features the BSA float, it is at about 9:03.

The commentary was kind of interrupted by the Navy Flyover.  If they weren’t, I’m sure they would have mentioned that the float was designed by Michelle Lofthouse, and was titled “Celebrating the Adventure – Continuing the Journey”. A description of the entry from the Phoenix Decorating Company website:

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Boy Scouts of America presents depictions of several popular scouting activities – including camping, hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and enjoying the thrill of “flying” along a zip line. The scouts’ involvement with nature is emphasized by several sculpted inhabitants of the great outdoors, including an American eagle, raccoon, owl, and a wolf. The Boy Scout emblem and the American flag form an impressive backdrop for the float, which also features a pair of real waterfalls. Accompanying the scouts’ entry in the Rose Parade will be 300 Eagle scouts marching along, and presenting parade viewers with an eye-catching performance.

Were you watching the parade?  What did you think of the float?