1 of 5
It’s no cliche to say that everyone was a winner Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27, when Doo Dah Parade organizers held annual tryouts for Queen at the Olde Towne Pub in Pasadena.
More than 15 people took the stage in all manners of costume and tried to convince the packed room why they would be the best choice to join the traditional Royal Family as the next Queen. They offered song parodies, theatrical talks, and creative pitches on what made them the best additions to Pasadena’s traditional untraditional “anti-parade.”
“I will always spread the joy of the city … and help to spread our joy of the world so people feel a little less alone,” Sparrow Dena, the newest Queen, told the crowd.
Wowing the crowd with her ukulele and her pledges to keep the light of acceptance burning, she brought home the crown.
This year, for the first time, a Royal Night and a Royal Light were also chosen, with the honors going to Romo the Robo and Helen Roper, respectively.
“Helen Roper embodies the Doo Dah,” declared the costumed character, who said she wasn’t really trying out, per se, but just channeling the character from the silly sitcom Three’s Company that aired decades ago.
Others put more planning into their tryouts, including Christine Mascott of Pasadena, who read from a banned book called “50 Shades of Grey” as a political statement celebrating the carefree attitude of the parade.
“I think the role embodies something that’s a little fringe and a little protest-ful in nature,” she said, having done volunteer work with it last year and loved the experience.
“It was so incredibly fun and everybody gets so much out of it,” she said.
The parade, which will be held on Sunday, Nov. 24, originated with some local creatives who wanted to bring something different to the city in relation to the Rose Tournament Parade. It’s theme has centered on not having a theme and, led by the nonprofit Light Bringer Project since 1995, it continues to flourish.
“Everyone can let their freak flag fly,” noted Queen Skittles of North Hollywood, who reigned at the parade in 2009.
“It’s so open,” she said. “I love it. I just love being a weirdo. I think we all have a weirdo inside of us and it makes the world more interesting.”
Skittles and other former Queens had the honor of choosing this year’s Queen, while everyone who was in attendance was allowed to vote for the two new Royals.
Jeff Hall of Sierra Madre, who emceed the tryouts for the tenth year in a row, dressed flamboyantly as Reginald Dwight, a.k.a. Elton John, spoke of the magic of Pasadena.
“It’s everything that L.A. wants to be and isn’t brave enough to be,” he said. “All the people that L.A. thought weren’t cool enough, they were too different, they weren’t conforming — they found a community here in Pasadena.”
“As spectacular as things are in L.A., there’s nothing as fantastic as what happens here,” he said.
Kitty Donahue of Pasadena, who wore a mermaid outfit for her tryout, has found her community with the parade, sharing special appreciation for the Light Bringer Project.
“I just want to tell them Thank You,” she said. “There’s nothing else like this.”
Donahue, who works as a white suitor volunteer in the Rose Parade, was disappointed last year when she was told she would not be allowed to wear her fairy wings during the event — something the Doo Dah Parade would never order.
“Where else can I be weird?” she said.
