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‘Granddaddy’ of Float Builders Bill Lofthouse, widely regarded as the “Granddaddy of Rose Parade float builders,” died July 5 following a short illness. He was 68. Lofthouse began his affiliation with Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses Parade in 1955 when he began working with Isabella Coleman, a pioneer of modern day parade float design. He met his late wife Gretchen Lofthouse at the Coleman float facility; the couple went on to found Phoenix Decorating Co., and develop the firm into the largest commercial builder of Rose Parade floats. The company annually creates nearly half the floats featured in the internationally renowned parade. “Bill Lofthouse was an icon in the festival industry. A true visionary, Bill pushed the boundaries of creativity and technology by bridging the modest early float designs into the spectacular creations found in the Rose Parade today. He was a wonderful ambassador for the Tournament of Roses in the festival business due to his high standards of ingenuity, entertainment and his unique ability to build and maintain relationships. His legacy will live on through future Rose Parades but his gentle presence will be greatly missed,” said Corky Conzonire, 2009 Tournament of Roses President. He is survived by his children Chris, Michelle and Cindy; daughter-in-law Lyn; grandchildren William and Rachel, and his brother David Henry Lofthouse. Funeral services were scheduled for 3 p.m. last Thursday at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 512 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his name to Methodist Hospital Foundation, (626) 898-8888, P.O. Box 60016 Arcadia, CA 91066-9976. |
Be Mindful of Water Use Say City Officials With warm summer months upon us, and California continuing to experience below-normal rainfall levels, South Pasadena city officials say it’s important for all residents and businesses to be mindful of water conservation. The city’s municipal code contains several provisions related to water conservation: •Water hose use: Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. •Water runoff: Avoid lawn over-watering to prevent water from flowing onto walkways, sidewalks and over the curb and into the gutter. •Watering hours: Avoid watering any type of landscaping between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Because of the heat, these are the least beneficial hours to water your landscaping. •Washing vehicles: Use a shut-off nozzle & water bucket to wash your car instead of running the hose continuously. •Serving water in restaurants: Serve water only if expressly requested by the customer. •Repair all leaks: Repair leaks in inside plumbing and external sprinkler systems promptly. •Decorative structures: Using water to clean, fill or maintain levels in fountains, ponds or aesthetic structures is prohibited, unless the water is part of a recycling system. Other useful water conservation ideas include: •Cutting back your watering: We use up to 70% of our water outside our homes, so cutting back at least one day per week makes sense. •Drought tolerant landscaping: Use drought-tolerant plants, which use 2/3 less water than grass. •Turning off the faucet: When washing dishes, brushing teeth or shaving. •Efficient appliances: Replace old inefficient washing machines & dishwashers with new high efficiency ones and run only full loads. These tips will help one person save up to 50 gallons of water per day. “If everyone in the city saved 50 gallons a day, we would save over a million gallons per day, cutting the city’s production needs by 20-25% and saving a considerable amount of electricity usage required for pumping power as well,” Shin Furukawa, director of public works. “Imagine what we could do if we all work together.” |
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