Growing up in Italy, Naomi Stilitano knew nothing about the Rose Parade. She then moved to Southern California. The 7-year-old was wrapped in her mother’s jacket to protect herself from the chill of an early January morning.
Naomi remembered being dazzled by the flowers and beauty of the royal palace.
“I was like, ‘I want to be a princess,'” 17-year-old Naomi recalled of her first Rose Parade. Now, almost 10 years later, the Arcadia High School senior is the star of the parade. The 105th Rose Queen.
The teenager was visibly emotional during her coronation in October, describing the day as “an amazing moment that I will always remember.” Her parents were also touched by her honor. Mom shed a few tears.
“If you had told me nine years ago that I would be Queen of the Rose in 2024, I would not have believed you,” Naomi said. “I celebrated with my family afterward and was very happy. I’m honestly honored to be in this position.”
The road to the Rose Parade has been years in the making for the teen, as well as Tournament of Roses president Alex Agajanian and grand marshal Audra McDonald. Agajanian said he expected a crowd of about 750,000 people and was optimistic the weather would be sunny, but was looking forward to “getting people together” during the 135th edition.
Agajanian was elected as a member of the Tournament of Roses executive committee in 2015 and was waiting to become president in 2024. His relationship with Rose and his parade began when he was a boy who lived near the route.
“What my dad used to do was go and get all the old cowboy stars from Western movies who were cleaning up the horses in the parade and invite them into the living room,” Agajanian said. “So Monty Montana and George Putnam and others were telling stories in my living room.”
Agajanian plans to put his own stamp on the 2024 Rose Parade with a theme of his choosing, officially titled “Celebrating the World of Music: A Universal Language.” Agajanian, a lawyer, said he came up with the theme while waking his wife in the middle of the night and having her write down her name.
He hopes the theme will reach people watching Monday’s New Year’s celebrations.
“I often say that when people are sitting on the couch, tapping their fingers and tapping their feet and singing, I hope they’re really entertained and that’s where this great celebration begins,” he said.
This message is already being felt by Broadway singer McDonald, whose credits include “Carousel,” “Ragtime” and “Porgy and Bess.”
Members of the Tournament of Roses Royal Court, including Queen Camille Kennedy, wave to the crowd during the Pasadena Rose Parade on January 1, 2020.
(Raul Roa/Los Angeles Times)
“This quote really resonated with me, mainly because there is no truer statement than that music is an international language. At a time when the world is in such turmoil, music It connects us to our humanity and breaks down barriers,” said McDonald, a six-time Tony Award winner. Winner.
Aside from the theme, McDonald, who grew up in Fresno, remembers her late father by participating in the Rose Parade.
“My dad was a huge soccer fan, so it was part of our family tradition to wake up every New Year’s Day and turn on the TV and watch soccer,” she said.
MacDonald added, “As a little Black girl growing up in Fresno, I never dreamed I would be able to represent myself in this way in the Rose Parade. This is huge because it’s all about representation. It is meaningful.”
Looking ahead to 2024, McDonald’s predicts the Rose Parade will kick off the year with “a spark of beauty, a spark of hope, a spark of understanding.”
“I hope it’s a beautiful way to celebrate the start of a new year,” she said, “and hopefully the beginning of better days for us as humans and for humanity.”