Designing the Floats

The Tournament of Roses is traditionally a cut above others in providing entertainment to viewers worldwide –– and the team of float designers at Phoenix Decorating Co., using sketches, renderings and lots of imagination, are committed to assuring that’s the case with the 2010 Rose Parade. The parade theme, “2010: A Cut Above the Rest” provides broad inspiration for float designers.

Among her 10 interpretations for the upcoming year’s floats Michelle Lofthouse offers "Ship of Dreams," in which American Honda honors its charity partners; "Quest for the Best," for Anheuser-Busch turning the spotlight on the athletes of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver; "We Are the Champions," chronicling the history of the Rose Bowl stadium and game; "Celebrating the Adventure Continuing the Dream," celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America; "Above the Rest," in which Kiwanis International presents the joys of having a tree house that’s above the rest; "Celebrate the Arts in Los Angeles," with a stylized skyline depicting the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Concert Hall and the Getty Museum; "The Ten Commandments Jesus Fulfilled," for the Lutheran Layman’s League; "Family First," depicting a fledgling avian family for the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs; and a fanciful boast of "Look Ma – No Hands" for Trader Joe’s, offering a group of devil-may-care adventurers operating a seemingly unlimited collection of animated vehicles.

Designer Dave Pittman offers a ride on an historic Red Car trolley for the City of Alhambra with "On Track in 2010"; a heart-touching look at the fantastic ramifications of organ, eye and tissue donation in "New Life Rises," presented by Donate Life; "A Salute to the Bands" is offered by Farmers Insurance, in the form of a 55-foot-tall parade major – that will actually lead the 2010 Rose Parade; "America’s Pride" is embodied in a gigantic American eagle which carries the pride of the City of Glendale to parade viewers; the Lion’s Club’s "Decades of Service" is trumpeted from the lifesize organ pipes of a circus calliope; and the Rotary Club’s dedication to eradicating childhood polio worldwide, depicted by a Dr. Teddy Bear, a 16-foot tall replica of a child’s toy entitled "Service Above the Rest."

Art Aguirre knocks one out of the park with his design for "Field of Dreams," for the City of Anaheim which will host the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star game; and his design is out of this world for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, depicting the ultimate home-away-from-home for children in "Space Odyssey," a fanciful space station and high soaring replica of NASA’s space shuttle.