Cal Poly Rose Float team participated in the national “Petal it Forward” movement on Oct. 24 by handing out 300 flower bouquets at University Union Plaza and on Dexter Lawn.
Participants received two bouquets: one to keep and one to share with a friend, family member, co-worker or complete stranger. The mission was to get smiles going all around as the country experienced flower power, according to Cal Poly Rose Float.
Holland America Flowers in Arroyo Grande, Calif. donated the bouquets for the event.
“We are hoping to make this an annual tradition. We were very excited to spread happiness through flowers,” Decorations Chair for Cal Poly Rose Float and industrial engineering junior Sydney Strong said.
The Rose Float Team handed out flowers to random people as well as those working in administration offices on campus.
“It was very well received, and people seemed to really be excited by the free flowers and their ability to connect with the program by handing out flowers themselves, especially during week 5. Making people so happy was very fulfilling and fun to watch,” she said.
This event was a part of a larger country wide campaign, according to the Society of American Florists website. Florists in more than 400 cities in every state and Washington D.C. surprised random people on streets with flower bouquets.
Tournament of Roses Parade
Cal Poly’s 2019 Rose Float entry, “Far Out Frequencies,” features a pair of astronauts and their alien friends communicating through music on another planet.
Unable to communicate through language, the astronauts use music to share messages of goodwill with aliens, portraying out-of-this world fun and unexpectedly making good memories. The entry celebrates 139 years of the Tournament of Roses Parade with the them “The Melody of Life.”
Past float entries have earned the “California Grown” designation from the California Cut Flower Commission, which recognizes an entry decorated with at least 85 percent of cut flowers and plant materials from California, for seven consecutive years. The 2018 float had about 97 percent of cut flowers and plant materials from California, and featured white and lavender statice grown by Cal Poly SLO students. For the 2019 float, students are growing marigolds.