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Old 09-17-2014, 02:42 PM   #5
Diaphone Jim
Junior Master Dwellar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Northern California
Posts: 2,122
From the Tournament of Roses webpage:
"The process starts with a specially-built chassis, upon which is built a framework of steel and chicken wire. In a process called "cocooning," the frame is sprayed with a polyvinyl material, which is then painted in the colors of the fresh flowers or dry material to be applied later. Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. Volunteer workers swarm over the floats in the days after Christmas, their hands and clothes covered with glue and petals. The most delicate flowers are placed in individual vials of water, which are set into the float one by one."
I worked setting flowers on the floats for several years in the 1950's, then rode on them and finally drove one year. Hey, it beat walking several miles carrying a tuba.
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