Float making steams toward New Year's Day

IRWINDALE, Calif. - Ask many of the volunteers and they'll be the first to tell you how intense the work is to create the floats for the Tournament of Roses Parade.

There will be 45 in this year's parade. Thirteen of those are being built at Fiesta Parade Floats in Irwindale.

The process of gluing everything from rice to roses on these floats is time consuming and very labor intensive.

Fiesta President Tim Estes says Roses are the most popular flower used by the float makers. Carnations are next. Orchids - all kinds - are the third most used on the many floats.. Each has a theme which is some way connects to the overall theme of "The Melody of Life".

Then there are all of those people who will be on these floats parade day like Lora Glassman. She'll represent Easter Seals on their float celebrating the agency's 100th birthday. Glassman says, "It's all worth it."

Melissa Gonzalo agrees. She represents Stella Rosa Wines which has come up with a pretty good way to celebrate. "We are very excited to have Kool and the Gang," she says.

They'll be on Stella Rosa's float performing their iconic hit "Celebrate". Gonzalo says sometimes they'll sing the word "STELLA-brate instead of... you know.

Meanwhile, at Fiesta Parade Floats, the work goes round the clock to get ready for The 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade.