Thao TranThe Cal Poly Rose Float team will travel to Pomona today to combine the two halves of this year’s float, “Enchanted Reverie.”
Designed to look like a red dragon guarding a castle on a tree, the float will include moving fairies to create a sense of magic and enchantment to parallel the parade theme, “It’s Magical.”
“The fairies will have flapping wings,” electronics leader Christian Lawler said.
Responsibilities to build the “Enchanted Reverie” were divided in half. The San Luis Obispo members will make and deliver the last portion of the float, while Cal Poly Pomona builds the front half.
“Our float is 22 feet tall, but we have to pass under a bridge that is 17 feet tall,” Peloquin said. “So the team built a hydraulic boom that split and lowers the float in half.”
Lawler said the team built a permanent power distribution on the mechanism under the float, which can be used by future Cal Poly Rose Float teams.
The float will be covered with organic material before the parade, but needs to be made from steel for stability.
“The weight of the decorations is so heavy it needs to be made from steel in order to support the organic materials,” Peloquin said.
After bringing the float to Pomona, members from the Cal Poly Rose Float team in San Luis Obispo will regularly commute and continue to work on the float until the end of December.
Each year, the two campuses participate and devote a year-long construction of approximately one-half of a float.
This will be Cal Poly’s 57th-consecutive year of participation in the construction of a float for the Tournament of Roses Parade held annually in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
This year’s parade, however, will be held on Jan. 2 due to a tradition set in the late 1800s that disallows parades to be held on Sundays because of the reserved time for local church services.
On Dec. 23, the team will transport the float to Pasadena; and with the help of community members, family and friends, the team will spend the final week placing floral and organic decorations on the float.
Judges will award almost 20 different trophies to merit different achievements at 2 p.m. on the day of the parade.
The Cal Poly team won for “Best Self Built Float” in 2003 and the “Founder’s Award” trophy in 2004 for the most beautiful entry.
After the parade, the Cal Poly Rose Float program immediately seeks new team members and leaders for the following year.
The program gives students experience in fields such as construction, decoration, design, electronics, mechanics, publicity and many other interests.
“This is my fourth year in the program and I personally gained a lot,” Lawler said. “I’ve gotten an internship solely on this experience.”
The Rose Float office is located in the University Union in room 209.