Fiesta Bowl Parade marks 50th year with theme of ‘Legends Made Here’

For Marilyn Martinez, Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl Parade has it all.

There was culture, politics, history and teams. And, of course, her daughter danced with the Ballet Folklorico de Santa Maria while the show ran through downtown Phoenix.

“I loved the versatility I saw on the show,” Martinez said, still dressed against the early morning cold in flannel pants and a sweatshirt. “It was awesome.”

From the Native American dancers to a float honoring former governor Rose Mofford to the Catalina high school band (“Amazing”), Martinez declared the 50th annual parade an all-around success.

Like hundreds of others, she and her family and friends were getting up and out early. Their strategy for tackling the cold weather (the temperatures were in the mid-30s) was simple: layers of clothing and basking in the sun.

“But that kind of backfired because we sat in the shade,” she said, laughing. By mid-morning the sun had pushed away the crowds of people lining the parade route; They waved to parade participants and lunged for goodies thrown by Santa Claus, the closing entry in the parade.

The “Legends Are Made Here” parade theme featured Phoenix Suns announcer Al McCoy as senior lead. McCoy is the longtime voice of the Phoenix Suns basketball team and a member of the committee that created the Fiesta Bowl football game.

Also honored at the parade is former Phoenix Suns forward Dan Margill, who was part of the 1993 team that went to the NBA Finals. Businesswoman Barbara…