Oklahoma begins centennial at Rose Parade

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OKLAHOMA CITY, July 29 (UPI) -- The Oklahoma state centennial celebration will kick off by leading the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

"At the start of that parade, Oklahoma will stage an opening show to celebrate Oklahoma's Centennial and to kick off the 2007 Rose Parade to the 50 million national viewers and 90 countries around the world," said Paul Holman, president of the 2007 Tournament of Roses. "Oklahoma will enter not one float, but two."

Holman made the announcement Thursday as a guest of the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, the Centennial Fund Inc. and Centennial sponsors at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, said Blake Wade, executive director of the commission.

The Oklahoma segment of the parade on New Year's Day 2007 will last 2 1/2 minutes and feature the floats, an All-Star Centennial band of 150 Oklahoma high school musicians and the Oklahoma City University dancers, the Daily Oklahoman reported Friday.