The cheers were loud and the excitement was palpable as Mississippi’s “Birthplace of America’s Music” float rolled through the five-and-a-half-mile stretch of Colorado Boulevard during Wednesday’s Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calif. Even after the nearly 40 floats finished, those in attendance continued to cheer on the Magnolia State as the Mississippi float was honored with one of the parade’s top awards.
Visit Mississippi and all of those who were involved in constructing the state’s first Rose Parade float were awarded the Past President Award, which is handed out annually to the most outstanding innovation in the use of non-floral and floral materials. The float donned with 13,000 yellow roses paid homage to Mississippi’s music history and specifically honored the late Elvis Presley and B.B. King.
“We’re thrilled to have earned the prestigious Past President Award, recognizing our float for the outstanding innovation in floral and non-floral materials,” Visit Mississippi wrote on social media. “A heartfelt thank you to everyone for your love and support! As we celebrate this honor, we also have exciting milestones ahead in 2025 – join us in celebrating Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday and B.B. King’s 100th! Come explore the Mississippi Blues Trail and experience what makes us the birthplace of America’s music.”
Leading the charge for Mississippi’s float, which was occupied by a quartet consisting of Poplarville-based country music trio Chapel Hart and local Elvis tribute artist Brandon Bennett, was none other than Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of the South. No stranger to the big stage, previously taking the field during halftime of Super Bowl LVIII, the HBCU marching band received arguably the largest round of applause of the morning.
“Man, the Sonic Boom is amazing,” ABC’s Hannah Storm said as the band marched through with Kevin Neghandi pitching in, “Huge round of applause from the spectators for Jackson State.”
If you didn’t get the chance to watch Mississippi help usher in the New Year during the 136th Rose Parade, we’ve got you covered with a couple of videos below.
WATCH: Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South marching band helps ring in the New Year at the @RoseParade 🎉 The Sonic Boom was followed by Visit Mississippi’s “Birthplace of America’s Music” float featuring @ChapelHartBand. pic.twitter.com/wN876qSZt8
— SuperTalk News (@SuperTalkNews) January 1, 2025
WATCH: Mississippi’s “Birthplace of America’s Music” float was showcased during the @RoseParade in Pasadena, California. 🎶🎉pic.twitter.com/o09tAOR7IW
— SuperTalk News (@SuperTalkNews) January 1, 2025
