Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Float prep in overdrive
  
|
This year’s Burbank entry in the Rose Parade will have plenty of bite, with a tyrannosaurus rex acting as the centerpiece.
By Jason Wells
Hundreds of volunteers have begun giving Burbank’s 2009 Rose Parade float its flowery skin — and they have just five days to do it.
In what organizers said was one of the city’s most ambitious entries so far, thousands of flowers shipped in from across the globe must be meticulously applied to the large steel and plaster structure before it is entered into the preliminary judging round Wednesday.
This after months of construction on a structure that includes pyrotechnics, an animatronic tyrannosaurus and laser beams as part of the float’s theme, “3D Double Feature.”
“The work that Burbank does is really at a high level,” Kelly Burke said Wednesday as crews put the last, hurried touches on the float’s infrastructure.
The set includes a classic convertible facing a drive-in movie theater screen, from which a large T-rex with a moving head juts out — a nod to “Jurassic Park.”
Meanwhile, “flying saucers” suspended above the float are to shoot laser beams at on-screen buildings, complete with pyrotechnics, as part of a scene from the 1996 film “Mars Attacks!”
A blower machine hidden beneath the convertible will emit a buttered-popcorn scent for the audience as it moves down the parade.
But it is now the careful application of tens of thousands of flowers and other plant material, including potatoes, nuts, stems, seeds and even dried mango, that has the storage facility buzzing with activity.
The convertible alone will require roughly 19,000 red carnations and thousands more white roses, organizers said.
Tulips from Denmark, carnations from Colombia, orchids from Hawaii and other flowers started arriving Monday, and with just five days left in the float’s decorating phase, hundreds of volunteers have now descended on the storage facility to bring the set to life.
With a $62,000 city grant to the Burbank Rose Float Assn., leveraged against the nonprofit’s own fundraising, organizers said they are making better use of the plant material this year to maximize resources.
Clipped rose stems will be used for a green weave-type pattern in the background, and leaves, typically discarded, will instead be applied to the dinosaur’s feet, Jennifer Edward, a longtime volunteer for the rose float association, said.
“We’re trying to be economical,” she said.
Every year, the float attracts volunteers from myriad community groups, residents and out-of-town fans who come to watch the parade in Pasadena, Burke said.
With so much work to be completed in such a short amount of time, the help is welcomed, but as the week progresses, more experienced flower decorators are preferred, said Philippe Eskandar, who coordinates the decoration process.
Even for the initial flower processing period, where stems are cut, sorted and prepared for application, Eskandar said care and patience is needed as thousands of delicate blooms pass from one station to the next.
“At the stage, we really need delicate hands,” he said.
After the initial judging round, the float is to be taken to Pasadena for the Jan. 1 Rose Parade.
After the show, the float will return to the city and be put on public display for a few days.
Those interested in volunteering can visit the rose float association’s website at www.burbankrosefloat.com for more information.
JASON WELLS covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.
In what organizers said was one of the city’s most ambitious entries so far, thousands of flowers shipped in from across the globe must be meticulously applied to the large steel and plaster structure before it is entered into the preliminary judging round Wednesday.
This after months of construction on a structure that includes pyrotechnics, an animatronic tyrannosaurus and laser beams as part of the float’s theme, “3D Double Feature.”
“The work that Burbank does is really at a high level,” Kelly Burke said Wednesday as crews put the last, hurried touches on the float’s infrastructure.
advertisement
Meanwhile, “flying saucers” suspended above the float are to shoot laser beams at on-screen buildings, complete with pyrotechnics, as part of a scene from the 1996 film “Mars Attacks!”
A blower machine hidden beneath the convertible will emit a buttered-popcorn scent for the audience as it moves down the parade.
But it is now the careful application of tens of thousands of flowers and other plant material, including potatoes, nuts, stems, seeds and even dried mango, that has the storage facility buzzing with activity.
The convertible alone will require roughly 19,000 red carnations and thousands more white roses, organizers said.
Tulips from Denmark, carnations from Colombia, orchids from Hawaii and other flowers started arriving Monday, and with just five days left in the float’s decorating phase, hundreds of volunteers have now descended on the storage facility to bring the set to life.
With a $62,000 city grant to the Burbank Rose Float Assn., leveraged against the nonprofit’s own fundraising, organizers said they are making better use of the plant material this year to maximize resources.
Clipped rose stems will be used for a green weave-type pattern in the background, and leaves, typically discarded, will instead be applied to the dinosaur’s feet, Jennifer Edward, a longtime volunteer for the rose float association, said.
“We’re trying to be economical,” she said.
Every year, the float attracts volunteers from myriad community groups, residents and out-of-town fans who come to watch the parade in Pasadena, Burke said.
With so much work to be completed in such a short amount of time, the help is welcomed, but as the week progresses, more experienced flower decorators are preferred, said Philippe Eskandar, who coordinates the decoration process.
Even for the initial flower processing period, where stems are cut, sorted and prepared for application, Eskandar said care and patience is needed as thousands of delicate blooms pass from one station to the next.
“At the stage, we really need delicate hands,” he said.
After the initial judging round, the float is to be taken to Pasadena for the Jan. 1 Rose Parade.
After the show, the float will return to the city and be put on public display for a few days.
Those interested in volunteering can visit the rose float association’s website at www.burbankrosefloat.com for more information.
JASON WELLS covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.
Save/Share
 |
 |
|
| City’s float is still turning heads | Gas prices back on the rise |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of burbankleader.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Not registered yet?
RSS