South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Postpones Live Crunch Time Party 

The South  Pasadena Tournament of Roses Committee (SPTOR) has  postponed its live Crunch Time Party which had been scheduled for Wednesday until February or March in an abundance of caution as the Omicron variant of the  coronavirus continues to spread across the country.

The Crunch Time Party is a major fundraiser for the SPTOR,  designed to raise funds to help pay for  materials aboard the city’s float in the annual Rose Parade.  

This year, the SPTOR broke its spending record on the City of South Pasadena’s float over its long history of participating in the Rose Parade due to rising floral and steel costs.

This year’s float will cost about $150,000. That’s $50,000 more than the group usually spends.

South Pasadena’s float, “Sky’s the Limit,” features five ostriches, including one – towering over the others wearing a Jetpack, leather helmet, scarf and goggles – blasting off from a snow-covered mountain top. 

“While we know this may be disappointing, as it was for us,  we encourage you to support us by registering and  participating in our 4-day online auction,” wrote SPTOR  President Brant Dunlap in a letter to those who had purchased  tickets to the live event scheduled for December 29 at the War  Memorial Building in the city.  

The online auction, featuring a wide assortment of items, starts  Monday, December 27 at midnight, and ends at 8 p.m. on  Thursday, December 30. The auction site can be found at:  www.auctria.com/auction/sptorcrunchtime 

“Thank you again for understanding and your continued  support as we navigate yet again through another difficult situation,” said Dunlap.