Float builders: A dream come true

We drove from Nebraska, experiencing temperatures around zero, to sunny Southern California where the residents nearly panic if the temperature dips to 40 degrees. Our son lives in Yorba Linda, of recent wild fire fame. Christmas in the presence of grandchildren, aged two and four years, is an event to be cherished. Don made connections to arrange for his mother to "volunteer" to help decorate a float that you will see, New Years morning, on TV threading its way along the crowd lined streets of Pasadena. The parade entry to look for is No. 42 titled Renaissance Revival.

The volunteering process was in itself quite an event. Note: Ann volunteered and I, sensing a story, was "volunteered"! A Web site www.petalpushers.org sponsored by the Lutheran Hour Ministries leads one through the process and schedules help as needed. We made the early-morning drive to Pasadena through light, by So Cal standards, traffic. Good Methodists temporarily masquerading as Lutherans, we signed the roster, purchased sweat shirts that doubled as identification badges and stood in line to be assigned our daily task. It being Sunday, we also attended a short Lutheran church service using their float as an inspiring backdrop.

Organizing volunteers is about like herding cats but with patience -- after all we volunteered -- we stumbled through the disorganization! Most volunteers think that they have stepped forward to work on the Lutheran Hour float. Showing up, they/we discovered that we had volunteered to work on any float constructed by a company that calls itself Phoenix Decorating Co.

Evidently Petal Pushers arranges for and organizes the volunteers in exchange for some undisclosed financial consideration, like paying the parade entry fees, for Phoenix.

Ann and I were only two of the 285 persons, ages 14 through 90+, that showed last Sunday morning. We were assigned to work on the float sponsored by the City of Long Beach. I quickly realized that I was qualified for the task assigned, using scissors to cut the petals off a dried flower called "everlasting" when I graduated from kindergarten. You could say, "How boring, sitting all day cutting flower pedals!" and you would be correct, but the dynamics of the whole enterprise was breathtaking, plus being just plain clean fun. Looking over other assigned tasks, during short breaks, we decided that we had a fine job as other tasks seemed messy, cold, hectic or even more tediously boring! Probably the worst task: filling with cold water the plastic vials that will eventually hold the fresh cut roses.

Perhaps best of all was visiting with many of the volunteers themselves. Ann and I were paired with two ladies also retired (but somewhat younger than me no doubt). One professed to live in Temecula and the other north of Detroit, Mich. Sandi from California was in her 14th year of volunteering and Kay had been there three times before. Working on the Ronald McDonald House float next to us was a group of church kids of high school/college age. There were also scout troops, coffee klatch buddies, service clubs like the Lions working on their float, as well as individuals with day jobs as, postmen, plumbers, housewives, aerospace engineers -- you name it. I spied one blind gentleman with seeing eye dog at his feet and another handicapped lady in her special cart, all doing meaningful jobs.

In the barn where we worked, there were nine of the huge apparitions that we will soon see as beautiful floats promenading before the TV cameras. Building is a year-long process. Once designed, the artist's vision begins life with a "parade" chassis; the frame that holds the float, the wheels, the engine, transmission, power steering, brakes, electrical generators, hydraulics, all the things tucked out of sight, required to make the vehicle move so gracefully.

Then the structure is formed of steel, fiber glass, chicken wire, paper mache', plastic foam and more. All external surfaces are painted in what will be the final color eventually to be covered with some sort of plant material. All the preceding is accomplished by professional laborers. Phoenix touts itself the only year-round float builder in America.

Only the week before the parade is the swarm of volunteers needed; Petal Pushers boasts a roll of 4,000 that annually come to donate their service. The final process is completed in roughly three stages. Every bit of the exposed surface is covered with some sort of plant material. For white, the area is painted with white glue, like Elmer's, and then cracked rice or shredded coconut is applied. For black onion seed is used. The list of materials authorized in a rainbow of hues goes on an on. Next stage involves those materials that are stable; eucalyptus bark, coconut husks, silver leaf, ti leaves, asparagus fern and even chrysanthemums that don't rapidly wilt in the cool float barn are applied using special glues.

A huge variety of plants and flowers in a rainbow of brilliant color are used for texture and effect. The last day before the parade the signature flower, the fresh roses, in their cascade of beautiful colors, each in its own vial of water, are fastened in their thousands of special locations.

Only then the everlasting petals that we cut are pulverized in a blender and sprayed over all to give an effervescent sheen that glistens in the sun. Voila, the float has become princess for a day! Comfortable in our living rooms we will savor the sight it for just a few seconds on the TV screen.

But oh the memories, those will last a lifetime!

That is the way I saw it.