Finishing touches

On Monday morning, I went by to see Downey's entry in the 2019 Rose Parade. The workers were putting the finishing touches on this year's float.

According to the Patriot, "In coordination with the 2019 parade’s theme 'Melody of Life,' Downey’s 2019 entry into the Rose parade is called 'Let’s Go to the Hop' and will take viewers on a rip-roaring, swinging and jiving nostalgic cruise back through the 1950’s...Downey’s entry remains one of only six floats that are designed, built, and decorated solely by volunteers."

Downey is one of only eight cities that enter floats in the parade. That's pretty remarkable when you consider how many cities there are in the Los Angeles area.

Humans of Downey - Mike

"I think that enjoying music connects me to everyone else. I am a huge fan of music. I'm what some people call a metal head. I'm very into the old school rock-n-roll, old school heavy metal—Metalica, Motor Head, Iron Maiden, and stuff like that. Led Zeppelin is my all-time favorite band. That is basically a brotherhood. You can go to a metal concert or old rock-n-roll concert and as soon as you get there you feel a sense of comradery. Music speaks to each of us in our own way.

"The person that has helped me become the unique person I am today is Kelley [Humans of Downey - Kelley]. I first came down to help with the float when I was 18 years old. I didn't know anything that was useful to build a float, but the first day Kelley asked me, 'Hey, do you know how to weld?' I told him no and then he asked me if I wanted to learn because we need help. I said yes. So, he taught me how to weld and from there my skills progressed. Then Kelley got me a job at Knott's Berry Farm as a ride maintenance mechanic. It's because of Kelley that I have the job I have now and the skills I now know. I am the person I am today because someone saw potential in me, taught me a skill, and gave me a chance and because I made a choice to make the most of it."

~ Mike


PS Mike is standing next to the small doorway that he has to crawl through to get to his position to drive the Downey Rose Parade float during the parade. He is lying on his stomach for the whole trip. See Lots of leg room, no view.

Humans of Downey - Kelley

"I am the same as everybody else in that I wake up in the morning like everybody else does, I go to work like everybody else does, take lunch, deal with problems that come up, come home, deal with issues and maintain the house. I think 'laughter is the best medicine' and so I think I enjoy humor, I enjoy a good smile, a good laugh just like everybody else.

"I am unique in that once when I was 10 years old, my neighbor and his sister were going to go down and decorate a parade float and I really wanted to go but I was on restriction. So I went and I pouted and cried and went to my room. Then I opened the window and jumped out, hopped over the neighbor's fence, and met them on the next block. Then I went down and decorated a float.

"I met some pretty interesting people and had a lot of fun. They showed me how to decorate a float and that just drew me in more. I wanted to know more about it. I kept coming back year after year and now I've been construction chairman of the Downey Rose Float Association for the past 28 years.

"My parents knew exactly where I was within 15 minutes of my jumping out that window. They said that I could have been doing a lot worse. But that I was still on restriction."

~ Kelley

PS Kelley is standing in front of this year's Downey float. It won the Queen's Trophy for 'Most outstanding presentation of roses.' It is currently parked in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites on Firestone Blvd. where it is on display. Go by to see it up close. You can even buy roses off the float.

Humans of Downey - Vincent

"Rose Float construction always has its challenges. One year the challenge was we had to make panthers. To make them, we had to screen them and I had never screened before. First, it's wire frame welded out. Then you have to put glue on it. Then you have to put screen on it. It has a mesh the size of a window screen. Then you have to put glue on it again which is a very sticky glue, not your ordinary glue. And it only goes on the metal. Then you use cardboard to smooth it out and wait for it to go while the glue is sticking to your hands. All the while, the little metal pieces are pocking into your hands throughout the process. Then you have to spray on a cocooning material and then you can paint it after that dries. But it kept bending and moving and I'm breaking and not working. You don't know what's right or wrong, what works or doesn't work. It was quite a challenge. Then they come by and tell you how great it is and all of a sudden you're the expert and then I'm in charge. So, I went from a little help to being in charge of the panthers.

"They said, 'You did such a good job could you do it over here? Oh, and could you do it faster? Because now we have to attach the head to the body.' There were three iron bars sticking out of the body and the head was made out of foam, so you had to push the head onto the iron bars. Then you had to screen the neck area where the two forms met. When the construction was all done, then the painters made me look great."
~ Vincent

Humans of Downey - Judy

"On one of our floats that had a Hawaiian theme, we used pineapple bark. The pineapples had to be cored out because we only used the outer ridge of the pineapple for the trees. Well, our mayor at the time was Meredith Perkins and he got the job of coring all those pineapples. And we won't let him forget either. That was a nasty job. Of course, every one else enjoyed the fruits of his labor by eating the pineapple he had removed. Eventually, we did get him a gadget that he stuck into the center of the pineapple, twisted and the fruit came out. So, it got easier after we got him that tool.

"Mike's and my next great adventure is to stay at home. We just got back from a three-month trek across America. We went about 9,000 miles. We've done this four times, visited every state except North Dakota. As we go we visit whatever attraction is in that area. Of course, we've visited a lot of friends and relatives. We even visited people we didn't know were related but found out about them during the trip. We've done a lot and we've seen a lot.

"So, now it's time to rest. One way I rest is to knit hats for Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. Also, this year I donated to 'People to People' in Ohio because my cousin gave me some yarn that her mother had when she passed away. I was able to make two bags full of hats. Now, I'm making hats to sell here. The proceeds go to the Rose Float Association. I'm always looking for yarn if anyone wants to donate some. These are warm hats. This one is a ponytail hat. It has a hole in the back."
~ Judy

Almost time to go...

It was just about 5:00 tonight when I stopped by to check on the progress of this year's Downey float, The Gold Rush.

It looked like they had some challenges and were working furiously to resolve them. so they could get on the road. There was a crowd just waiting around for the float to be ready to leave.



The Tournament of Roses has had a “Never on Sunday” tradition since 1893, the first year since the beginning of the Tournament that New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday. The Tournament wanted to avoid frightening horses that would be hitched outside churches and thus interfering with worship services, so the events were moved to the next day, January 2. Though horses are no longer outside local churches, the tradition remains to this day.

Volunteers everywhere

The Rose Parade never occurs on a Sunday, so when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the parade is moved to the following day. This gives all of the volunteer float workers an extra day to complete their work. It's a good thing, because this years float is quite large, and there's a lot of work still to be done. Two more days to go!

Humans of Downey - Mike

"Let me tell you the story of the 'Midnight Rescue.' One year, when they built the model, it wasn't to scale so when they built the actual float it was too large. Then, we didn't have enough help for the size of the float. The fire department was here and Channel 9 came around to tell our story. In response, over 400 community residents showed up to volunteer. Now we had too many. They still didn't finish in time and they finally pulled out of here around 9 pm. We usually pull out around 5 to get to Pasadena in time for any last minute fixes and then the judging around 3 am. My wife was on the float and a bedpost fell off and nearly hit her.

"Kelly is our head builder and he worked at Knott's Berry Farm on the roller coasters. This year is the second time we've had a roller coaster on the float. During the construction of the float that had our first roller coaster, I got a call from my son asking me to bring a voltage regulator for a 1948 Ford engine. Now, where are you going to find something like that? Instead I rigged it so they had some extra fuel to run the generator for the length of the parade. But then the transmission was overheating in the parade. So, they took water from the waterfall that was on the float to cool the transmission. But they made it to the end of the route and didn't need to be towed. That would have cost us extra money."
~ Mike

Humans of Downey - George

"I've been working on the Downey Rose Parade Float for over 42 years. About 15 years ago we did a float called 'Fast Food Revelation.' It was kind of a replica of the original McDonald's restaurant on Florence Avenue and it happened to win the Founder's Trophy. I'm kind of happy about that one because I had a lot to do with that one. I was the guy that was in charge of decoration that year. I and a team of six other people made sure the decoration got done in time. Luckily, we didn't have any glitches in the decorations that year.

"Another year, we were doing a transformer design that had the float morph into another formation. We did this by having the left and right halves of the float fold open to reveal another design inside. But the two halves were part of the new design. The inside of the two halves had some heavy canvas that had to be covered with some living stuff that would move with the canvas. We couldn't find anything that worked well enough. It just didn't look right.

"In the city of Downey, I fight for historical preservation. I like to see old buildings, old houses restored and respected. I feel that if those walls could talk they would have great stories to tell us. I think it is a real tragedy that people don't see that in older buildings. I was the phone call that got the city to stop the owner of the Harvey's/Johnie's Broiler from illegally demolishing the building. It is now the Bob's Big Boy Broiler. My dad told me stories about Harvey's Broiler. He said the line used to be around the block to get into the parking lot. It was a carhop service. There were traffic cops on Firestone to direct the traffic going through. He said that at one time they even put a 15-minute time limit on parking in the lot to get food. So, if you think about all the people, all the lives, all the stories that have gone through those doors, it would be a travesty to tear it down. There have been voices, discussions inside. If those walls could tell you those discussions, those stories, we'd be a lot better off."
~ George

One step at a time

This year's Rose Parade entry from Downey is entitled "The Gold Rush." Right now, it looks more like a pile of rust than a celebration of gold, but that will change quickly over the next couple of weeks.

Soon, the frame will get a surface coat to serve as a base. At that point, it will start to resemble this model. Then, starting the day after Christmas, the plant material will be applied, adding the color that shows in the artist's rendering on the table. Finally, the roses and other flowers will be added on New Year's Eve day.

Then, on to Pasadena!

Lots of leg room, no view

Two weeks before the 2017 Rose Parade, Downey's entry still looks pretty bare bones. The finishing touches are being done on the frame. Mike, above, has been working on the Downey floats for 11 years, and is one of the leads on the construction crew.

Mike is also the float's driver. He gets to sit in that green seat for the six hours that it takes to move the float from Downey to Pasadena. Although the float is towed for the move, it still must be steered. And the only thing he can see for the entire trip is the tail end of the tow truck. And then he has to be ready for the two- to three-hour drive for the actual parade.

And he's looking forward to every minute of it!

The princesses and their float

Today was time once again for the annual Downey Christmas Parade. The parade, as always, includes the Miss Downey court. These are the 2016 winners, who will also ride on Downey's entry in the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.

From Miss Downey Emely Lopez down to the smallest Little Miss Downey Princesses, these girls are polished and ready—quite unlike the float they will ride on, which followed them in the parade. This year's entry, entitled The Gold Rush!, is just a skeleton of the finished product, and work will continue nearly around the clock for the next few weeks. Can't wait to see the finished product!

Honk if you love fireworks

I read this week that eighteen service clubs and non-profits have been granted permits to sell legal fireworks in Downey. This one is sponsored by the Downey Rose Float Association, which raises funds all year long to support Downey's entry into the annual New Year's Day Rose Parade.

So get out and support your favorite group this year, at least with a "honk."

Exploring the Everglades

Once again, Downey won the Founder's Award for this float, "Exploring the Everglades." I went to see the float up close yesterday afternoon, before it started its slow trip from Downey to Pasadena for the parade this morning.

The float is built entirely by volunteer labor. (See Humans of Downey - Alexis and Kelley.) The core team from the Downey Rose Float Association works on the float all year long, but the most frenzied activity takes place during the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, when any and all are welcome to come help.

I arrived too early yesterday to see the full Downey court seeing the float off. But there were still plenty of volunteers there, proudly getting their pictures taken in front of their work.

Maybe it's just because I love animals, but I think this is my favorite float yet. There are three panthers and five blue herons.

The float will be parked at the Embassy Suites Hotel starting Monday. You can see the float up close and purchase flowers.

Humans of Downey - Alexis

"I started back in 1999 when we had a roller coaster on the float and one of the memories I have about that is, it was raining the day they had judging. I was only 13 and you're supposed to be 16 to be up on the scaffolding. But they had to have the roller coaster reseeded and I was this little kid who's scared of heights as it is, trying to reseed the track with seaweed.

"Another memory I have is we had a western theme float a few years back. Kind of Knott's Berry Farm theme and it took me three days to build a vulture. It was to sit on top of a tree. From here in Downey, it takes us 6 to 7 hours to get to Pasadena on New Year's Eve night. Sometimes, the items that are too high or that need to be placed on the float just before the parade will need to be transported in cars, so we form a caravan. My vulture sat too high on the float to make it under some of the bridges, so we had to transport it in a separate car. Boy, it's cold on New Year's Eve."
~ Alexis

For more on the Downey Rose Float Association, click here.

Humans of Downey - Kelley

"I am the Construction Chairman for the Downey Rose Float Association and have been for over 25 years. I started decorating floats 36 years ago. My neighbor and his sister were going to come down and decorate a Rose Parade float. I wanted to go. My parents said, 'No. You're on restriction.' So I faked a pout, stormed to my room, closed the door, jumped out the window, then over the fence, met my neighbor on the next block and went to decorate a float. They were a little upset when I got back but they said I could have been doing something worse. I've been down here ever since.

"Back in 2000, I designed and built a roller coaster on our Rose Parade float and then I rode in it at the Rose Parade. We plan for every little part of the parade. Except for one thing that year. Where we were positioned in the parade was in the back. So when you're moving forward on Orange Grove, you move forward, you stop, you move forward then you stop. Well, the float weighed 40 to 45 thousand pounds. By starting - stopping, starting - stopping, it put a little more load on the transmission that we hadn't planned on.

"Now, as we're coming up to that famous turn onto Colorado Blvd. The one with all the grandstands and the TV cameras, I'm riding the roller coaster around and my brother is screaming at me, 'The transmission is boiling over.' I could only talk to him for a brief two seconds every time I came around to his spot. So I told him, 'I don't care...whatever you got...get me past camera.' So, I heard him yell through the float, 'Give me all the water. If I don't get the water, I'm going to pee on this transmission.' But once we got past that famous turn, it's mostly downhill with a few spots of uphill. After the turn it's a constant flow. It's not start - stop, start - stop. So, it was less stress on the transmission. Of course, I had to get rid of that transmission when we got done."
~ Kelley

Visit Downey Rose Float Association.

Parade prep

This afternoon was the Downey 64th Annual Christmas Parade. But before the parade can take place, numerous bands and teams and groups—and floats—have to be gathered together. Here is one of those floats making its way slowly to the staging area.

The fundraising starts now

Because the Downey Rose Parade float is financed and built entirely by volunteers, fundraising has to be a constant focus, and it starts immediately after the parade ends. One estimate that I heard is that the budget for the float is typically around $50,000.

While this year's float is on display at the Embassy Suites parking lot, you can stop by and purchase flowers off of the float. You can also buy a variety of merchandise, such as Rose Float Association sweatshirts, crocheted scarves, and other odds and ends. Later in the year, the association mans a fireworks booth for the Fourth of July, and sells snacks at the summer Concerts in the Park series, just to name a couple of their fundraising events.

In addition, other kinds of contributions occur during the year. For example:

• The City of Downey contributes by providing the police escort for the trip back and forth between Downey and Pasadena, free of charge.
• Local businesses contribute grain for decorating, and foam and other materials for construction.
• A carpenter from Knott's donated his time to build the house, above, in this year's float.

On display

As usual, Downey's Rose Parade float is on display at the Embassy Suites parking lot.

Gordon has been a volunteer helping with the floats since 2003. He is an enthusiastic and well-informed volunteer, and I learned a lot today.

• Downey has had an entry in the parade every year since 1952.
• Downey’s entry has the distinction of being one of only six floats which come under the parade classification of self-built. This classification means that the float
  is completely financed, constructed, and decorated by volunteer contributions and help.
• The Downey float travels the furthest to get to Pasadena, and usually arrives last on New Year's Eve. It takes about 6 hours to travel the 18 miles.
• The team of volunteers that accompanies the float has a lot of fun, hanging out on arrival with the five other volunteer teams, enjoying the camaraderie and fire pits. (This is in contrast to the paid workers who head home as soon as their job is done.)
• Knott's Berry Farm donated the horse and sleigh. The sleigh was donated several years ago, and the horse was donated this year when Knott's underwent some refurbishment.

Gordon's favorite story about this year's float took place at the judging. One of judges had tears in her eyes as she looked at the three uniformed servicemen who rode on this year's float. When asked about this, she replied that the servicemen reminded her of her own army son, who she wished could be "home for the holidays" (the theme for this year's float).

More tomorrow...

Home for the holidays part II

Yesterday I showed you some pictures of the Downey Rose Float Association's entry into the Pasadena Rose Parade. Their entry is titled "Home for the holidays." Well, the float won a national award called "Best Depiction of Life In U.S.A. - Past, Present Or Future." The attention to detail is certainly one reason for the award. This squirrel's fur is made of cotton that the volunteers had to take the seeds out of by hand.



I guess they didn't have a cotton gin handy.



This horse is so life-like.



This tree stump with the viewing slits is for the emergency brakeman. The driver follows a painted line in the middle of the road to stay on the parade route. If anyone runs in front of the float while it is moving, the driver would never know. But the emergency brakeman, looking through the slits, would pull the lever to stop the float.