The SOI Motorhome Club 43rd Annual
* Rose Parade Rally*
Santa Anita Park • Arcadia, California
December 28, 2023 – January 2, 2024
Welcome SOI Members
Thursday, December 28, 2023
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Arrival all day! Meet your staff in the Rally Tent for registration after you get settled.
5:00 p.m.
Welcome: Get Acquainted Social at the Rose Parade Tent area. Come and enjoy the party, rally orientation, welcome dinner. (Please bring your itinerary and a pen for Rally notes/updates. Always wear your name tag.
Dinner will be served 6:30 p.m. We supply utensils, plates, etc.
Friday, December 29, 2023
7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast in Rally Tent
8:45 a.m.
Bus will depart to work on and/or tour the City of Sierra Madre float entry. Bus will shuttle between the float area and the RV Parking area. Workers are needed if you want to help; you will need to sign a liability waiver.
(Recommendation: Bring your gloves and scissors)
Shuttle Bus will operate throughout the morning with the last shuttle departing from the Sierra Madre Float building at 11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. To 12:30
Lunch at Rally Tent
12:30 p.m.
Board the bus for departure to the Huntington Library & Outdoor Gardens Tour. Docents will meet us on arrival to answer questions, followed by time to explore the grounds at your leisure. The first shuttle Bus will return to the Racetrack at about 3 PM. The final bus departure will be at 4:30 p.m. to return to Santa Anita.
5:45 p.m.
Bus will depart for San Antonio Winery dinner and historical talk. Plenty of time for Wine tasting before the bus departs. The bus will return to the Racetrack once everyone is finished and will depart not later than 9 PM to return to Santa Anita.
Saturday, December 30, 2023
6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
Breakfast at Rally Tent
7:30 a.m.
All aboard the bus to head to the Rose Bowl Festival Grounds. We’ll drive down Colorado Blvd. for a sneak preview of the parade route and our parade seats. At the festival grounds, you’ll be able to view one of the major float barns. Outside of the float building are special tents set up to serve food items and the selling of official Rose Bowl licensed goods and memorabilia. The Bus will return once it is loaded, which should be no later than 10:30 AM or sooner, if everyone is accounted for, to return to the Race Track.
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Lunch at Rally Tent.
12:00 – End of Show
Bus departs for Band-Fest show at 12:00 noon. and the show begins at 2:00 p.m. at Pasadena College, presented by Remo, USA. These performances are by bands that will march in the Rose Parade. Bus will be returning after the last band has performed.
6:30 p.m.
Dinner will be served in the Rally Tent. We will have a drawing to determine who will represent us in the Winner’s Circle at Santa Anita Racetrack. The tent will be available after dinner for your choice of games or just relaxing with friends.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
7:00 a.m.
“Dumping of rigs” today until all are done. It is not necessary for you to be there. Please have the valve bins unlocked and the door open if you would like your rig dumped. We do not need your hoses (unless you own a Foretravel or non-standard sewer connector. If so, please leave it by your valves).
Water will be available for those who need it before the end of the rally. Please sign-up at the information table in the tent. Remember this is ONLY if you will run out of water before the end of the rally.
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast will be served in the Rally Tent. We are deferring a full Breakfast today because we have 2 full meals scheduled, Lunch at the Frontrunner club and a traditional New Years Eve Dinner in the tent.
9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
The annual chapter meeting of the SOI chapter of FMCA will be held, led by Dick Lowman, President for the SOI Motorhome Club. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
There will be presentations on some of our past and upcoming rallies and rolling rallies. This is also the time to discuss the future direction of SOI and new Rolling Rallies to be developed. All are welcome!
10:30 a.m.
The Frontrunner Club opens at 11 AM and they will start serving the Buffet about 11:30 a.m. You can drive to the entrance, or you can walk through the tunnel to the track. We will be at the Santa Anita Park’s Frontrunner Restaurant in the Club House for our Buffet and day at the races. (This is in an enclosed area; dress is casual, but nice.) You must arrive together if you wish to sit together. The seating will be for 2, 4, or 6 people per table. Please keep in mind, the Buffet is at a leisurely pace, so you can relax and enjoy the races. The 3rd race at approximately 2:45 is a SOI named race and one of our couples will be escorted down to the track for a picture with the winner. The last race will be about 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Tent is closed until 6 PM for New Year’s Preparation
NEW YEAR’S EVE Celebrations begin:
All enter our Rally Tent to the sounds of the Crown City Dixieland Band as our New Year’s Eve celebration party begins (re-set your minds to the New York Times Square time- 9:00 p.m., as we celebrate New Year’s Eve “on New York time”).
Dance to the music of this great band.
Enjoy our traditional New Year’s Eve Dinner which will be served during our celebration,
Your Staff will host an open Bar, including soft drinks, for your enjoyment.
A “Crazy Hat” contest will also be held during this evening’s celebration with the winners receiving a bottle of champagne in each category.
As 9:00 p.m. (California time) approaches we’ll have our traditional champagne toast to welcome in the New Year.
9:00 p.m. Pacific Time (12:00 midnight Eastern Time) –
“Happy New Year”, singing Auld Lang Syne, the usual hugs, kisses, & welcome to “2024”.
Happy New Year!
Good-bye 2023
Hello…2024!
Reminder:
Re-set your minds to local time… and especially your clocks so they wake you up early for the Rose parade activities.
Monday, January 1, 2024
6:00 a.m. Buses Depart
Everyone will board the buses bound for the 133rd Tournament of Roses Parade, themed “Dream. Believe. Achieve” with LeVar Burton as the Grand Marshal of the Parade.
Bring your cushions, snacks, cameras, binoculars, jackets, spouses, Parade Program, etc. We have about a 2 to 3 block walk to our seats from our designated bus parking lot located behind the Parsons Building’s.
Stadium Seats will not fit on our Bleachers.
11: 00 a. m. to 12:30 p.m. Lunch
Upon Return to the Rally Tent, Enjoy a hearty lunch, consisting of soup, sandwiches, and salad. We’ll do a couple of "football pools" to make today’s Rose Bowl game a little more interesting for those of us who remain to watch the game on TV in the Rally tent.
12.30 p.m.
We will have our buses operating for everyone to ride to the post parade float viewing of the “Showcase of Floats”. The floral masterpieces you witnessed at the parade will be parked on the boulevard for close up viewing and photo taking. The first returning bus will depart at about 3:00 PM. The last shuttle bus will be departing for the Rally site not later than 4 pm or sooner if everyone is accounted for.
** Note** the 108th Rose Bowl Game starts at 1:00 p.m. Those having tickets for the game need to be at the stadium by 12:00 p.m.
4:30 p.m.
Root beer floats at the Rally Tent area and any leftover snacks will be available during the game.
The Rose bowl game will be on the TV in the tent.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Coffee, juice, and sweets will be served at the main tent.
Morning Departure:
Goodbyes to all! Be careful driving and have a safe journey home. We’ll see you down the road and hope you tell your friends about our SOI Rose Parade Rally for 2024/2025. This rally will be starting on Saturday, December 28, 2024 to Thursday, January 2, 2025. The Rose Parade will be on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
8:30 a.m.
All electricity will be shut down and the physical breaking up of our camp (tent, electric lines, etc.) will begin.
*Rules to REMEMBER:
Park Tow Cars around perimeter. Always leave Fire Lanes open. No pets in Rally Tent. (Pet area is by entry along the road. Please pick up after your pet.)
No entry into the Race Course fenced area. There is no smoking in the tent area. All leveling Jacks should have a good platform below them so we do not damage the parking lot.
Emergency Contact: Paul Mitchell (209)815-1837
Itinerary events and times may be subject to change for the betterment of the rally.
Notes:
Why join SOI for the Rose Parade?
Experience: 43 years of providing our Guests with the very best of the Rose Parade. Best Seats, Best Location, Best Events and the Most Experienced Staff.
Location: We set up an RV Parking area at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California. Our parking area is inside gate 6 of Santa Anita Racetrack on blacktop. We bring in quiet generators to provide good solid 30 Amp power for everyone. We purchased all new cables and boxes in 2014.
Facilities: We set up a large main tent with a serving area for our catered meals and a separate kitchentent for our caterer’s use. We have propane tent heaters to take off the chill on the early mornings. Enough tables and chairs for everyone and the coffee is ready by 6:30 AM each morning. Two 60” TV’s inthe tent provide key entertainment and allow us to watch the Ball drop in New York City during our NewYear’s Eve Party.
Staff: Our Volunteer RV Staff are the most experienced you will find and boast a combined 50 plus Rose Parade celebrations. They are always available to answer questions and help you put that check mark onyour “Bucket List”.
Rose Parade Seats: We have some of the best premium seats on the Parade route. We are very close to the start of the parade, just as the route crosses St. John Street. Our seats are on the East side of the road so the sun comes up behind us making for great pictures. Our seats are also only 12 rows high and right on the blue line. The Blue line is the edge of the road for the bands and floats. It means we don’t have anyonesitting in front of us and we are able to talk with the people on the floats as they go by. The biggest complaint we receive about our seats is that they can’t get the entire float into their picture.
Transportation: We use Coaches with bathrooms for transportation to all of our events. We have experienced staff that know the routes and the best way to get through the traffic during this very busy week in Pasadena. That means we spend a lot less time on the bus and more time enjoying the activities. The closest RV Park adds about 45 minutes travel time to each movement, depending on traffic.
Rally Cost: Because we are an all-Volunteer Non-Profit Organization our costs are significantly less than commercial companies. Our goal is to provide the best rally possible at the lowest cost and to fund the basic expenses to keep SOI RV Club active. We encourage you to compare our events and costs for the Rose Parade with any other group and we think you will be pleasantly surprised with our program.
Day at the Races: If you have not been to Santa Anita Racetrack before, you are in for a treat. TheFrontRunner Restaurant is one of the best ways to experience the excitement of a “Day at the Races”. Sitting above the track with a panorama of the San Gabriel Mountains as the backdrop, the FrontRunner truly leaves you on top of the world with a great view of our rigs across the track. Air conditioned comfort while enjoying your meal and separate betting windows for your winning picks make this a special, not to be missed event.
New Year’s Eve Party: The tent will be decorated with lights and noise makers for our celebration bringing in the New Year. The Crown City Dixieland 10-piece Band will be playing for your enjoyment, culminating with the dropping of the Ball in Times Square at midnight Eastern time. We will have a traditional mealserved in the tent and you won’t want to miss the Crazy Hat Contest. Lots of fun and plenty of prizes.
Visit our website at www.soiclub.com for other exciting tours and rallies hosted by SOI.
