The design and construction behind a Rose Parade float

Starting in August to New Years Day, Jan. 1, volunteers crowd the War Memorial Museum parking lot to prepare for the annual South Pas Tournament of Roses parade float. Between welding steel and shaping plywood, South Pas’ success in recent years is entirely the product of a few dedicated volunteers. This year, the self-built will center around the theme of “Spark of Imagination”.

11 months before the parade, a committee reviews the designs colicited by members of the community. After the design is finalized, the committee sends the sketch to an artist who creates a final colored rendering and brings the design to life.

“We will start soliciting designs first of December for the next year’s parade,” said James Jontz, SPHS faculty, design chair, and committee member for the City of South Pasadena. “We have a form that we send out. When I send out, I send it to every teacher in the district [in hopes of] getting submissions from creative students. But 90% of the time, we get nothing.”

On average, the construction crew is made up of 5-6 people. Each member also serves on the committee with various different roles.

“Because we don’t build in a building, we have to work in a parking lot under a tent, and we don’t get that tent until August 1,” Jontz added. “Of course, we try to do little projects here and there, but really our main focus starts August 1 through January 1.”

Building the float begins with the base. The all-steel chassis is 35 ft long and 10 ft wide. After the head of construction clears the logistics, the crew receives a delivery of steel and plywood and begins the construction process.

One of Jontz’s first assignments was building a skirt around the chasse. Different members of the construction crew are assigned different tasks. While Jontz worked to build the skirt, others welded cats, books, or articulating arms.

“We are given a pass and we kind of just divide and conquer to make things work,” Jontz added.

As the year nears its end, the construction process picks up speed. Decorators and crew members populate the float site on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On weekends, many work to catch up for inspections. However, the main push begins in December. Constructors and decorators work through the week of Christmas, when many are on break.

“Starting from December, we’re there every day… We have to paint the whole thing, make sure that our alarm system works, all our driving mechanisms work, everything of that nature,” Jontz said. “It’s a slow start, but as things progress, we really pick up speed.

As a member of the construction crew, Jontz and other committee members are tasked with not only building the float, but also maintaining it. Guidelines around the float impose limitations on what materials can and cannot be used. As a result, the decorations crew has to make use of organic materials that often attract pests.

“After December, the [containers are] just a disaster,” said Jontz. “[They] are always having mice problems because there’s a lot of seeds and grains that we decorate the float with, so we’re constantly getting mice.”

For Jontz, the construction process is as time-consuming as it is gratifying.

“I think the fun part of it is when everything’s done, we’re sitting on Orange Grove, ready to go, and everybody’s coming up and going to the parade,” Jontz said. “That’s the best part.”

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