by Dot Cannon

What in the world is this?

Well, it’s part of more than a centennial of New Year’s Day tradition, involves thousands of volunteer work hours and has a tendency to win awards on a regular basis.

And today, you can find out more about it, firsthand.

This is part of the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association’s 2015 Rose Parade® float entry–and this morning and afternoon, they’ll be giving free workshops on how they create it.

“Rose Float 101”, as Burbank TOR call the presentation, is a Sunday of morning and afternoon two-hour sessions where members of the nonprofit Burbank Tournament of Roses Association show new volunteers, at their float barn, what’s involved in creating a Rose Parade® float.   While it’s geared towards new volunteers, prospective ones are welcome, as well.

What happens at these sessions?   Well, the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association leaders will literally walk guests through the creative process involved when the finished product weighs several tons, costs around eighty thousand dollars (which is actually inexpensive for a Rose Parade® float!) and involves covering the finished base with thousands of live flowers and intricate dried-flower mosaic panels.   Guests get to talk with the welders, cocooners, foamers, mechanical and pyrotechnics experts and floral artists who work year-round on what spectators will see on New Year’s Day.

Rose Parade® float entries date back to the parade’s 1890 origin, and are based on the flower-decorated carriages that Pasadena residents first entered in Pasadena’s New Year’s Day celebration.  Over time,  floats grew more elaborate–a  commercially-designed float can cost $250,000 and up!  Consequently, the number of individual organizations  submitting entries dwindled.  Currently, there are just six independent volunteer organizations,  called “self-builts”, that build their own Rose Parade® floats.

“Noncommercial”, however, doesn’t mean “nonprofessional”.   Self-builts work year-round on their entries, and the six organizations in question–Burbank, Downey, Sierra Madre, La Canada Flintridge, and South Pasadena Tournament of Roses Associations, as well as Cal Poly Universities–regularly win awards for their entries.   According to their website, the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association has garnered more than fifty awards for their entries–including the 2014 Fantasy Trophy for their entry, “Lights…Camera…Action!”

Oh, yes.  So, what are they doing this year?  Well, their 2015 float, called “Jungle Rescue”, will be their eighty-third entry.   The finished product will look like this:

And you’re invited to come down to their float barn today, learn what’s involved in creating a Rose Parade® float and help them build and decorate it.  Their first “Rose Float 101” session starts at 10:00 this morning at their float barn, and they’ll have an afternoon session as well.

All-volunteer 501 (c) Burbank Tournament of Roses Association hosts their free “Rose Float 101” presentation this morning and afternoon at their float barn, 123 West Olive Avenue in Burbank.  (Their float barn is located a short walk from the Burbank downtown Metrolink station.)  The two-hour morning session starts at 10:00 am, with an afternoon session starting at 1:00.    Volunteers are needed, on Saturdays especially, to help build and decorate their 2015 float, “Jungle Rescue”, and you can find out more about volunteering by coming by the float or e-mailing info@burbankrosefloat.com.