Rose Parade held under tight security

The crowd of about 800,000 gave thunderous applause to the City of Torrance's "America the Beautiful" float, with its massive Statue of Liberty, and to a float carrying a statue of Abraham Lincoln made from rice, sesame seed and shredded coconut.

"Whether they support the war or are opposed, people want to show their support for the soldiers, the men and women, who are over there in Iraq," said J.T. Price, 30, who came to the parade from Birmingham, Ala.

With the nation under a heightened terror alert, more than 1,000 federal and local law enforcement officers fanned out among the spectators and stood behind bleachers. Authorities also deployed bomb-sniffing dogs, video cameras and helicopter surveillance.

No specific terrorist threats had been made against the parade or the Rose Bowl football game.

Police made 37 arrests, mostly for alcohol-related misdemeanors, police Lt. Alex Uribe said.

"It was a great crowd. They kept the officers busy, but for what it could have been it was very quiet," police spokeswoman Janet Tope said. "There was hard work, lots of planning."

The extra security and 40-degree weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of parade-goers, many of whom camped out overnight with stoves, mattresses and heat lamps to snag prime curbside seats for the 8 a.m. parade.

"We're freezing like icicles, but we are happy," said Beatrice Angel, 50, of Ocotlan in Mexico's Jalisco state. Her family drove several days to see the Aguiluchos Band marching band of Puebla, the first Mexican band to play in the parade debut.

TV's former "Bachlorette" Trista Rehn and husband Ryan Sutter, riding in the rose-covered "Love Songs" float, drew whistles from the crowd.

Others preferred the more whimsical floats, some of which featured a trio of singing cacti, a rock 'n' roll band of spinning flowers, a dragon, water-squirting elephants and a sunken ship with a bubble-blowing octopus.

Sydney Brouillette, 12, of Lafayette, Ind., said her favorite float was the ship.

"I've never been to a big parade before, so it's kind of exciting," she said. "I like the octopus because I love calamari and my nickname is squid."

Another favorite among parade-goers was the tallest float in parade history, the 100-foot-high "Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," which advertised a Disney Resorts thrill ride.

The "Springtime Symphony" float, representing springtime thaw in the Grand Canyon, featured eight waterfalls and carried a giant animated bobcat, woodpeckers and owls.

The parade also included a float promoting organ transplants and one commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Pacific Islands Saipan and Tinian by U.S. forces in World War II. It was the first Rose Parade entry by the Northern Mariana Islands.

Helicopters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department zoomed over the parade's finale in a salute to the crews that helped battle Southern California's devastating fall wildfires.

Keeping with the theme of "Music, Music, Music," the parade's grand marshal was conductor John Williams, who scored the "Star Wars" movies and many other popular films. He led 23 marching bands, 49 floats and 25 equestrian groups along the 5 1/2-mile route.

For many, the parade was about tradition and gathering with family.

Claudia Dominguez, 22, came with her family from the border town of Coahuila, Mexico, for the second year in a row. She watched the parade on television for years with her father, who wanted to see it in person but died in 2002 before making the trip.

"It's beautiful. It transports you to so many different places," Dominguez said. "It wakes up so many different emotions and memories for me."

The parade was to be followed by the Rose Bowl game between the University of Michigan and the University of Southern California. After several years, it marked the return of a traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup.