Rain Bird Gets Set to Deliver a Dozen Years of Rose Parade Participation

AZUSA, Calif., Dec. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its heritage of bringing awareness to the importance of water conservation and environmental preservation through its participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade, Rain Bird, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services will once again pay tribute to the central role that water plays in sustaining all of the Earth's inhabitants with its 2008 float entry, Preservation Celebration. In accordance with the 2008 Rose Parade theme, Passport to the World's Celebrations, and Rain Bird's steadfast commitment to The Intelligent Use of Water, Preservation Celebration vividly captures the intimate relationship that exists between water and life by celebrating India's rich heritage of weaving the natural resource into the fabric of its cultural celebrations.

In a tradition dating back to Rain Bird's first float entry in 1997, water will once again be a signature element on Preservation Celebration, highlighting the company's corporate philosophy of promoting environmental preservation through The Intelligent Use of Water worldwide. Set amidst a radiant display of lush flora and life-like fauna, Rain Bird's 2008 float entry features over 1,500 gallons of flowing recycled water cascading over eight waterfalls in a brilliant display.

"Each of our 12 float entries has aimed to inspire and motivate the public to think about the part that each of us plays, and the actions we can take towards preserving and protecting our natural surroundings for the enjoyment of future generations," said Rain Bird's Director of Corporate Marketing, Dave Johnson. "We are excited to once again have the opportunity to utilize the Rose Parade's worldwide stage to bring awareness to the important role that water plays in sustaining all of the Earth's inhabitants. Water has always been revered by the Indian culture as an integral, spiritual part of life. Preservation Celebration calls attention to the importance of adapting behaviors in order to conserve Earth's most precious natural resource for generations to come -- a perfect fit for Rain Bird's commitment to environmental preservation and The Intelligent Use of Water."

Returning as float riders aboard Rain Bird's Preservation Celebration are animal enthusiasts and environmental ambassadors Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio and host of Into The Wild (who has ridden on Rain Bird's floats from 1999 through 2007); and Walter Crawford, Founder and Executive Director of the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis, Missouri (who joined Mr. Hanna on Rain Bird's floats beginning in 2001).

"I am excited to have the opportunity to once again ride down Colorado Boulevard while communicating my New Year's wishes and Rain Bird's important environmental messages to the Parade's worldwide audience for a 10th consecutive year," said Jack Hanna. "As I travel around the globe looking for wildlife adventures, I get to see first hand just how delicate the balance between water and life is. Even the slightest change in the availability of Earth's natural resources can have a drastic effect on all of Earth's inhabitants."

Fiesta Parade Floats President Tim Estes and Floral Director Jim Hynd bring award-winning float designer Raul Rodriguez's vision to life as Preservation Celebration showcases India's natural diversity and cultural heritage that provides the impetus for the region's continuous procession of national, regional, local, religious, seasonal and social festivals that are as varied in origin as they are in number.

Preservation Celebration will feature a trio of majestic Bengal tigers prowling through India's subtropical jungle as whimsical monkeys demand attention with their antics. Spectacular albino peacocks frolic among eight cascading waterfalls and lagoons in a jungle of exotic flowers, vines and gardens that have claimed the exotic temple ruins of civilizations past.

Jim Hynd and his team of floral experts will bring the Bengal tigers on Preservation Celebration to life using petals of orange strawflower and glossy black onion seed with accents of yarrow, pampas grass and cordon blossoms. The monkeys will be artistically crafted using a combination of combed palm fiber and pharmitas grass. And the Peacocks' feathers will be formed from crisp white carnation petals and coconut chips with flowing tails of purple Madame Pompadour dendrobium orchids.

Cascading vines laden with lavender cattleya and purple dendrobium orchids will be used to create a fantasy canopy over a brilliant tropical jungle floor made from more than 50,000 orange Mirage and Tropical roses. Floral umbrellas in petals of gold and yellow strawflowers will provide spots of shade in this tropical forest, and exotic lush gardens of heliconia, protea, ginger and tropical foliages will complete the magnificent floral presentation.

Utilizing a float chassis specially designed and engineered to safely support the 13,000 + pounds of water that will be prominently displayed on this float, the realistic movements of the tigers will be accomplished with computerized hydraulics, and more than two-dozen high-pressure misting nozzles will enshroud the scene in a light fog as Rain Bird's Preservation Celebration travels down Colorado Boulevard.

Once again, Rain Bird will be depending on their patented Time Release Water irrigation supplement to provide continuous moisture to the live portions of Preservation Celebration, keeping all of the living plants lush and beautiful without additional watering.

A vegetable-based gel-like formula that breaks down into water at a rate that consistently nourishes plants for up to 30-days, Rain Bird's Time Release Water is an ideal "tool" for keeping the live plants on Preservation Celebration healthy, lush and able to be enjoyed by millions of parade goers on January 1, 2008.

In November, hundreds of volunteers including Rain Bird employees and their families began the process of applying hundreds of thousands of fresh flowers and other plant material to Preservation Celebration, a task that consumes a total of 10,000 hours to complete.

The 119th Tournament of Roses Parade marks Rain Bird's twelfth year as a participant in the New Year's Day classic, having won Judge's Special Trophy in 2007, Grand Marshal's Trophy in 2004, President's Trophy in 2000, Director's Trophy in 1997 and Sweepstakes Trophy, the parade's top honor, in 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999 and 1998.

Beginning today, Rose Parade fans will be able to get a daily behind the scenes look at the making of Rain Bird's 2008 Rose Parade Float entry by visiting Rain Bird's YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/RainBirdCorp.

Rain Bird's participation in the annual Tournament of Roses Parade is only one example of how the company's focus on water conservation extends beyond products and services. Rain Bird devotes significant resources to its Intelligent Use of Water public initiatives, which include a series of white papers, public service announcements, membership on the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the steering committee advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its WaterSense product labeling program, bi-annual Intelligent Use of Water Summits and the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition, partnerships with non-profit organizations, development and support of elementary and middle school curriculums and The Intelligent Use of Water Award to showcase leaders in outdoor water conservation.

ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION

Based in Azusa, Calif., Rain Bird Corporation is the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. Since its beginnings in 1933, Rain Bird has offered the industry's broadest range of irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments and homes in more than 130 countries around the world. Rain Bird has been awarded more than 130 patents, including the first in 1935 for the impact sprinkler. Rain Bird and The Intelligent Use of Water(TM) is about using water wisely. Its commitment extends beyond products to education, training and services for the industry and the community. Rain Bird maintains state-of-the-art manufacturing assembly facilities in the United States, France, Sweden and Mexico. http://www.rainbird.com.

   Contact(s): Stefan Pollack/William Ostedt
   The Pollack PR Marketing Group
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   spollack@ppmgcorp.com
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