2018 Dec 2 Equestfest and Bandfest

At Equest Fest, most of the horse teams that participate in the Rose Parade, perform on Saturday, Dec 29th (3 days before the Rose Parade).  The drill teams were especially enjoyable to watch.

Below:  Blue Shadows mounted drill team from Castaic, California.  Founded in 1957 and dedicated to teaching children of all ages how to ride horses.  First time in the Rose Parade.  Structure is based off the U.S. Cavalry.



1st Calvary Division Horse Cavalry Detachment from Fort Hood, Texas.  Established in 1972, the 1st Calvary is one of 7 mounted cavalry units on active duty in the U.S. Army.
Below, she's riding bareback and shooting at balloons on these poles.  She did not miss one.

Below:  Norco Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team.  They perform high speed, precision maneuvers at a gallop.  Founded in 2008, the team consists of 13 dedicated women riding American Paint horses, American Quarter horses and one beautiful Appaloosa.

Below:  Scripps Miramar Ranch, San Diego, California.    High-stepping spotted American Saddlebreds.  Each horse sports sterling silver tack and saddles designed by Edward Bohlin, who is also known as the "the saddle maker to the stars."  He made saddles for Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.  Eight generations of Scripps Miramar Ranch's breeding program


On Sunday we went to Band Fest.  Most of the bands in the Rose Parade, performed in one of 3 performances.  22 bands total in the parade.  We got to see 7 of them.  Below is Pasadena City College.


Below, Banda Escolar de Guayanillia from Puerto Rico.  A band from Seattle helped raise money, so that this band from Puerto Rico could attend.  After the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico last year, these kids from Puerto Rico were sure that they did not have the money to make the trip.  Mercer Island H.S. from the Seattle area raised $40,000 to assist them with the expense of the trip to Los Angeles.
And what's a trip to Los Angeles without a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits.  
Starting 50,000 years ago, everything from enormous Columbian mammoths to tiny insects have gotten stuck in the muck of the La Brea Tar Pits.  

Below, is an ongoing excavation.  As the sign says, the largest fossils found in this pit was a saber-toothed cat.


Scientists are working cleaning up fossils from the pits.  All of this is happening in the middle of Los Angeles.






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