Rose Parade on deck as Santa Rosa gears up for next spring festival

The 123rd annual parade returns to downtown Santa Rosa with a new route.|

MARY CALLAHAN

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

May 17, 2017

Rose Parade road closures and route info

The parade runs from 10 a.m. to about noon on Saturday.

It begins at Sonoma Avenue and E Street.

It travels north on E Street to Fourth Avenue, then heads west on Fourth Street, past Old Courthouse Square, to B Street.

After going south on B Street for one block, it turns east on Third Street and ends at D Street.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Old Courthouse Square and includes food vendors, entertainment and family activities.

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The following streets in downtown Santa Rosa will be closed for Saturday's parade, beginning as early as 8 a.m.

- D Street from Fifth Street to Sonoma Avenue

- Stevenson Street from Brookwood to South E Street

- South E Street from Maple to Sonoma Avenue

- Santa Rosa Avenue from First to Third Street

- E Street from Sonoma Avenue to Fourth Street

- Third Street from Brookwood to B Street

- Sonoma Avenue from Santa Rosa Avenue to Brookwood

- Georgia, Bush, Vallejo and Clark streets from Brookwood to E Street

- Second Street between Brookwood and D Street

- Wheeler and Tupper streets closed at South E Street

- Fourth Street closed from E to B streets

- B Street closed between Third and Fifth streets

The 123rd annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade returns to downtown Santa Rosa on Saturday with a new route, thanks to the recent restoration of Old Courthouse Square.

The closure of Mendocino Avenue, which once took parade entries through the divided square toward Juilliard Park, means the procession will now take a few extra turns around downtown and encircle the square using B and Third streets en route to the parade end at D Street, organizers said.

The shifting layout makes for an easy transition for those interested in attending the post-parade festival at its new location, the town square reopened amid much celebration late last month.

The Rose Parade, a perennial favorite named in honor of famed hometown horticulturist Luther Burbank, includes school bands, flag twirlers, floats, clowns and equestrian displays.

Organizers this year asked participants to explore the theme of Life in Motion.

At Cesar Chavez Language Academy, a dual immersion pre-kindergarten to third-grade school in west Santa Rosa, students were inspired to think about the import and export of goods. They have painted 12 wooden pallets to decorate this year's float, an entry that parent organizer Anastasio Tovar called “Open Fences,” acknowledging its political overtones.

Up to 80 students from the bilingual, bicultural school will accompany the float, arranged on a flatbed trailer.

“I'm a parade junkie, so I've attended many parades,” said Tovar, a 20-year Santa Rosa resident with one son in kindergarten at Cesar Chavez and another one headed that way. “I was in marching bands growing up, and eventually that's what I want for our school, but our school's not at that level yet. But I'm planting a seed.”

The parade runs from 10 a.m. to about noon, with the festival running until 4 p.m.

Details are available at roseparadefestival.com or by calling 707-837-1928.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.