For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
December 27, 2002

Mrs. Bush to Greet New Year's Day Rose Parade® TV Viewers

114th Annual Event Celebrates "Children's Dreams, Wishes and Imagination"

December 20, 2002 - Laura Bush will wish millions of television viewers of the annual Rose Parade a special holiday greeting on New Year's Day. The Rose Parade reaches approximately 60 million viewers in the U.S. and millions more around the world through international distribution. Mrs. Bush's message reflects the theme of the 2003 parade, "Children's Dreams, Wishes and Imagination."

"I am delighted to take part in a beautiful Southern California celebration that has become a worldwide tradition, the annual Rose Parade," said Mrs. Bush. "What a remarkable way to begin the New Year: by sharing with the world's children our hopes for their dreams, wishes and imagination."

The Rose Parade, a Southern California tradition for 114 years, begins at 8:00 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) from Pasadena, California on January 1, 2003. Mrs. Bush's 60-second message -- recorded in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House -- is set to air in the opening minutes of the festivities on ABC, CBS, NBC, Tribune (KTLA), and HGTV. Mrs. Bush also recorded a brief greeting in Spanish for broadcast on Univision (KMEX).

Bill Cosby, Art Linkletter and Fred Rogers will serve as grand marshals, and one million spectators are expected to line the parade route.

For more information on the Rose Parade, contact the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at (626) 449-4100.

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