Onlookers, whether in bleachers, on curbsides or participating in the Rose Parade, caught a friendly skywrittten greeting in the morning hours of New Year's Day 2009.

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009

From the front row of the Blue Band's trombone section, the photographer snapped a marcher's view of the Rose Parade in Pasadena's San Gabriel Valley with the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance.

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009

Stopped midway through a turn, Blue Band members stand ready to resume their five-and-a-half-mile march through Pasadena, mostly along Colorado Boulevard. The tall flags in the middle of the band represent all of the Big Ten schools, since Penn State won the Big Ten Championship and represented the conference in the Rose Bowl.

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009

A thoughtful spectator cheers on the Blue Band marchers near the end of the parade route with a sign that reads "1 More Block."

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009

The tall palms overhead form a towering sort of allée along the parade route as Blue Band members and performers from the Golden Valley High Schol Cardinal Regime of Merced, Calif., mingle on the street. The high school band was the performing group that preceded the Blue Band, although the Pasadena mayor's vintage Cadillac and a float from Kaiser Permanente separated the performing groups.

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009

Blue Band Drum Major Matt Sabo and the majorettes wind down their long journey in the 2009 Rose Parade. In the center of the photo beyond the majorettes is a glimpse of the Penn State float with cheerleaders on board.

Photo Credit: Andy Colwell

Year Taken: 2009