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December 26, 2007 |
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Deco Chair Kay Sappington helps with a butterfly wing you saw before
on the Chamber Mixer page, before it was being decorated |
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Bonnie Colcher offers pointers on the
placement of beans on the Sierra Madre sign |
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Volunteers place petals on petals -
See the
finished product on the Dec. 30th page, part 3 of this series |
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Swan placement |
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Mike Dolce and Kayla Suff-Greene work on the tree at
the back of the float |
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That's Pres.Robert Young on the left working on
stuff for the fountain with Kris Poulsen and his wife Sue |
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The cat on the left is Raffi Tufenkjian, son of Knar.
The float was dedicated to
her memory. |
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Ditto |
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SMRFA VP Don Mills
and John Briffett cook up some grub for the volunteers
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The Making of a Self-Built Float for the Tournament of Roses Parade, Part 1
First
part of a three part series on the making of the 2008 Sierra Madre Rose
Float (lots of photos below article)
By
Bill Coburn, Don Mills, Leslee Hinton, Dick and Kay Sappington, and the
Sierra Madre Rose Float Association
Construction
of The Sierra Madre Rose Float is well under way, and as we enter the final
days before the Parade, everything is ready to switch into high gear. Many
of the non-perishable supplies and flowers, plants, seeds, etc. that are
will be used are already in the barn, and neatly organized for ready
accessibility as they are needed. Volunteers will be descending on the barn
en masse, and in the final days of December will be working round the clock
to make sure the float is ready for the judges. The last two floats have
won awards. The 2006 Sierra Madre Rose Float, "Wonder of Reading", was
awarded the Founders Banner Trophy, and the 2007 Sierra Madre Rose Float,
"Our Wonderful Wistaria", was awarded the Lathrop K. Leishman Trophy - "Most
Beautiful Non-Commercial Float". The bar has been set very high, but it
appears as though this year’s entry has every possibility of continuing the
streak.
Because
the next two weeks’ stories will be accompanied by progress photos of the
float, this first part will discuss more the processes involved in having a
float, and discussion of the flowers and such will be covered in the next
two parts, accompanied by progress photos of the float and the
transformation from a bare frame to a fully flowered entry.
The
Process
Sierra Madre has been a
participant in the Rose Parade since 1917 and there have been Sierra Madre
residents in the parade since 1909.
Sierra Madre’s is one of
only six self-built floats. The Sierra Madre float is financed strictly by
donations and fundraisers. The cost to build this year’s float will be
about $32,000. Most of the floats in the parade cost in excess of $250,000.
If you’d like to make a donation, or become a member of the Sierra Madre
Rose Float Association ($25/household annual dues are a major fundraiser for
the group), see the information at the end of this article.
Building the float is a
year long process. In January, the float from the
previous parade is dismantled. The flowers are removed and all of the
structures are taken off. All that remains is the chaise. After the new
design is chosen by the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association and approved by
the Tournament of Roses Association, the designers and engineers put
together a construction plan to build and flower the new float. Every
Sunday throughout the year, there is a dedicated group of volunteers
building the float. They come from Redlands, Highland Park, Arcadia, Santa
Monica, Hawthorne, and of course Sierra Madre. Once the float’s structures
have been assembled, the float is covered with styrofoam and a cocooning
material. The float is then painted. It is painted for two reasons. First,
to show what color flowers will be used. If you are putting a red flower
where it is painted yellow, you know something is not quite right. Second,
if flowers come off, the empty spaces are not noticeable. Finally, the float
is ready to be decorated. This year, “deco” week will begin the day after
Christmas. Every year a group of 200 to 300 retired volunteers from all over
the United States arrive in their RVs and stay at the Santa Anita Race
Track. As part of their trip they work on the floral preparations for
several hours.
During deco week the dried
materials are applied first. The dry material includes such things as
seeds, coconut, dried flowers, rice, and ground magnolia leaves. The fresh
flowers are applied during the last three days. Before the roses and irises
can be put on the float, each one must be placed in water filled vile. This
year, that means 30,000 viles must be filled with water by volunteers.
The float has already
undergone a couple series of tests mechanically, to make sure it is up to
the Tournament standards, most recently last Sunday. According to
Association vice-president Don Mills, “Everything went well and once again
the Tournament mechanics and officials were complimentary. Also, and
importantly, the Princesses and Escorts performed the fire drill
effortlessly. We had two corrections to make and those were taken care
of on Sunday and we are good to go.”
The float will be judged
twice. The first judging is December 30th. At that point it needs
to be about 70% completed. The next day it is judged again. For the final
judging the music and the animation will be working and all of the riders in
their costumes will be on the float.
After the Rose Parade, the
float will be taken to the post parade for viewing. Then it will be driven
to Kersting Court. Finally, it is driven back to the float barn and the
process starts again.
This Year’s Float
Sierra Madre dedicates this
year's float to the memory of Knar Tufenkjian -- a beloved volunteer and
board member who passed away in 2007.
The theme of the 2008
Tournament of Roses Parade is “Passport to the World’s Celebrations”. This
year the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association has chosen the theme of
Valentines Day. The concept of Valentine’s Day was submitted by Brent
Pickering of Springfield, Utah. Charles Meier designed this year’s float.
This is the third year Charles has been with the Sierra Madre Rose Float
Association. His first two designs both won awards for the city.
Valentine’s Day is
celebrated in many countries throughout the world. There is no other holiday
that is more closely associated with roses than Valentines Day. Our float
brings the delicacy of a Victorian valentine to life in this elegant floral
fantasy. Lovers in swan boats will glide on a lake of irises, orchids, and
roses. Butterflies with wings of lace will flutter overhead as two
fountains add a romantic atmosphere. There will also be a spectacular
canopy of flowering trees and rose covered hearts. Two hundred ninety four
(294) rose covered hearts will be included in the design of the float. The
hearts will be in the butterfly wings, hiding in the trees and around the
intricate frame of the float. This year’s float is 25 feet high, 18 feet
wide and 35 feet in length.
Cyclists, costumed in
Victorian attire, will accompany the float. They will ride antique
penny-farthings and bicycles–built-for- two. The decorations of these
bicycles will recreate the look of the bicycles that were in the Rose Parade
at the turn of the century more than 100 years ago.
Valentino Costumers is
designing the gowns and suits for the parade and is also providing the
clothes for the cyclists riding with the float.
Next part: The
flowers and the decorations, and a look at what goes on under the flowers.
If
you’d like to make a donation, or become a member of the Sierra Madre Rose
Float Association ($25 annual dues are a major fundraiser for the group),
send your donation to Sierra Madre Rose Float Association, P.O. Box 603,
Sierra Madre, CA 91025. Membership applications can be downloaded by
visiting the Association’s website, www.sierramadrerosefloat.org.
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