Thousands line Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena for 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade

Countdown is on for 121st Rose Parade

PASADENA, Calif. — The countdown is on for one of the nation’s biggest New Year’s celebrations — the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Thousands of people clutching sleeping bags, lawn chairs and party favors staked their claims to sidewalk space along Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard and other stretches of the route early Friday.

They spent the night under the light of a rare blue moon — the second full moon in a month — awaiting the start of the 121st parade, themed “A Cut Above the Rest.” The grand marshal of the New Year’s Day spectacle is Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a stricken jetliner on New York’s Hudson River.

It was mostly peaceful along the parade route late Thursday, except for some minor skirmishes. A couple of fights resulted in two arrests, but no injuries, Lt. John Dewar said. One person was arrested on suspicion of fighting in public, the other on suspicion of being drunk in public. Both are misdemeanors.

When police allowed people to claim seats at noon Thursday, 66-year-old Dean Hanson and his wife Gwen took chairs off the top of their motorhome and secured primo front-row spots.

Hanson, born in Pasadena and now a resident of Northern California, has been to 59 rose parades, starting when he was 6 months old. His dad owned a business along Colorado Boulevard and was a tournament volunteer.

Hanson can provide a living history of the famed New Year’s Day procession.

“We saw both major rainstorms, a hotel fire, a parade float fire,” he said. “There isn’t much we haven’t seen.”

Hanson said the parade is his favorite part of the event, but it’s hard to choose a favorite part of the parade. He likes the floats, the equestrian units and the bands.

“In fact, we picked this spot specifically because all the bands play here,” he said.

The National Weather Service predicts sunny weather for the parade and Rose Bowl game pitting Oregon against Ohio State.