Each year the Tournament of Roses president and officials select a theme, Grand Marshal, and Queen to preside over the parade and football game.

2005 Theme: Celebrate Family

The theme Celebrate Family was chosen by this year’s Tournament of Roses President David M. Davis, a local investment counselor who enjoys growing orchids.

“The theme for the 2005 Rose Parade is my tribute to the wonderful Tournament of Roses volunteers, both past and present, and our outstanding staff,” Davis said when he announced the theme last January. Twenty five paid staff and 935 volunteers work on the Tournament year round.

A theme was first chosen in 1918, when Patriotism was selected. Other past themes have included Tales of the Seven Seas (1934), Movie Memories (1973) and Children’s Dreams, Wishes and Imagination (2003).

2005 Grand Marshal: Mickey Mouse

In November, Davis revealed that Mickey Mouse was selected as the Grand Marshal for the 2005 Tournament, representing the theme in the parade and tossing the coin before the Rose Bowl Game.

JUST CALL HIM “MARSHAL MOUSE”: David Davis, President of the 2005 Tournament of Roses, with actress Julie Andrews and Mickey Mouse, the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

“Mickey Mouse has brought entertainment, joy and laughter to families around the world for 75 years and we couldn’t think of a more ideal Grand Marshal to help up Celebrate Family in 2005,” said Davis at the announcement ceremony.

Mickey Mouse, who accompanied Walt Disney on his Grand Marshal ride in the 1966 parade, was delighted to accept the appointment, according to a Tournament of Roses press release. Mouse was quoted as saying, “It’s a big year for me with big doings for Disneyland’s 50th and all, but being in the Rose Parade is a great way to start the New Year!”

There has been a Grand Marshal in almost every tournament since the first one in 1890. Marshals have included entertainers like Frank Sinatra (1980) and Kermit the Frog (1996), astronauts like Buzz Aldrin (1999), former presidents such as Dwight Eisenhower, and athletes such as Hank Aaron (1975).

2005 Queen: Ashley Moreno

In October, the Tournament of Roses named Ashley Moreno, an 18-year-old La Cañada High School senior, as the 87th Rose Queen. Moreno was chosen out of a group of 900 young women from the Pasadena area who began the tryout process in September.

Each year’s queen is selected based on a combination of qualities such as poise, public speaking ability, academic achievement and involvement in the community. Moreno was chosen thanks to her active membership in her church, in theater, and in her school’s varsity soccer and track-and-field teams.

The tournament’s first queen was Hallie Woods, crowned in 1905. For a brief period in 1913 and 1914, a king was chosen to accompany the queen but this custom was soon abandoned.

This year, the tournament’s magazine also features a tribute to Holly Halsted Balthis, who was crowned in 1930 but remained involved with the parade throughout her lifetime. Balthis passed away this year at the age of 96.