PASADENA, Calif. - Brig. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, 509th Bomb Wing commander, places a rose on a parade float while visiting the Tournament of Roses' Decorating Places Dec. 31, 2010. A B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performed the flyover for the 122nd annual parade. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Juarez)

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PASADENA, Calif. - Brig. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, 509th Bomb Wing commander, poses for a photo on a float featuring Air Force aircraft such as an F-117, F-22 and B-2 while visiting the Tournament of Roses' Decorating Places Dec. 31, 2010. A B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performed the flyover for the 122nd annual parade. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Juarez)

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PASADENA, Calif. - (From left to right) Paul Sherrod, Tournament of Roses tour guide, explains the intricacies of float decoration to Gary Leonard, TOR host; Mrs. and Lt. Gen. Tom Sheridan, Space and Missile Systems Center commander, Los Angeles Air Force Base; Mrs. and Brig. Gen. Sam Greaves, Space and Missile Systems Center vice commander; and Mrs. and Brig. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, 509th Bomb Wing commander, while the group visits the TOR's Decorating Places Dec. 31, 2010. A B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performed the flyover for the 122nd annual parade. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Juarez)

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PASADENA, Calif. - A KTLA 5 reporter interviews Brig. Gen. Scott Vander Hamm, 509th Bomb Wing commander, prior to the Tournament of Roses parade. A B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performed the flyover for the 122nd annual parade. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Juarez)

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PASADENA, Calif. - A B-2 from 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performs the flyover above Pasadena's 122nd annual Tournament of Roses parade Jan. 1, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tina Greer)

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PASADENA, Calif. - A B-2 from 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., performs the flyover above Pasadena's 122nd annual Tournament of Roses parade Jan. 1, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joe Juarez)

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509th Bomb Wing present at 122nd Tournament of Roses parade

Published Jan. 4, 2011

PASADENA, Calif. -- The big bowl game at Pasadena is the annual Rose Bowl played at Rose Bowl Stadium. The "granddaddy" of all the bowl games, the first one was played in 1902 with a string of more than 90 Rose Bowl gridiron battles delighting fans since.

Even before the game, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade kicks off in the morning celebrating the New Year and a new Rose Bowl battle. The 2011 Rose parade theme was "Building Dreams, Friendships & Memories" and took place Jan. 1 featuring spirited marching bands, floral floats, and high-stepping horses marching down Colorado Boulevard - and the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., overhead.