Submitted by Laurel Hollopeter AIFD, CFD, IMF
December 30th It’s hard to believe but we are down to crunch time at Fiesta as the finishing touches are being put on to the six floats in the barn. The first judging is complete and you can almost hear the bees (floral designers and volunteers) humming as they are deep into their work to complete these floats on time!
All six floats are coming along great as we head down the home stretch to the finish line. Designs are being placed, scaffolding is coming down and the decks of the floats are starting to take shape.
The big question amongst the design team right now is will it be an all night affair, and which float will be finished first. It’s all cool in the barn right now as we have had yet another day of cool rain in California.
Celebrities, walkers, and riders of floats have made appearances to view the floats. Some of the riders are seeing it all for the first time, and some are here to help decorate these magnificent beauties. It’s not every day you get to see not one, but TWO reigning Queens from the state of Louisiana! What a fun time with those folks from the Bayou! Laine Hardy, the winner of American Idol 2019, was even in attendance as he was one of the many riders of the State of Louisiana float. This float was a masterpiece and the excitement it brought was even more amazing!
December 30th, afternoon: Some sponsors of floats changed plans at the last minute due to Covid and pulled all of their riders and walkers. The Kaiser Permanente float was one such sponsor. The team of designers on this float were notified of no riders for the float, and where those riders were scheduled to stand, now needed to become floral décor! Not a problem said team Kaiser, which consisted of Mike Hollenbeck AIFD, Laurel Hollopeter AIFD and Berta Canedo AIFD. These designers took on the late task of adding more floral décor to their task.
December 31st The floats are continuing to be finished and it’s winding down. The clock has stuck midnight and we are now into the early morning hours of New Years Eve Day. As floats are being completed designers are moving on to help other float teams complete additional tasks.
We are down to one float left in the barn to be finished. All the floral décor is done on the float and we are waiting for additional dry decoration to be finished on this float.
The teams of designers are now checking out the finished products of these awesome floats and snapping some great photos to showcase to friends and family members. As a designer we just don’t drop and run, we too are helping the staff clean and move product back to other areas of the building, as we prepare for the final judging in just a few short hours.
Well it is 3am in the morning of December 31, and the design teams have been released to head for home. So, do we go sleep, have a meal, or just crash? Well, the answer to that was all three! After all, we need to be back in the barn for final judging at 9am!! Yes, a quick power nap, a good warm shower, and we all put on our smiles and arrived back at the barn. As a team, we cheer on each float in the live judging, and what a sight it is! It’s amazing the smile you see of what this team accomplished in four short days!
Final judging has been completed and the team gathers for “family” photos just like at the holidays. We say our “goodbyes” and “see you soon”. Some head back to the hotel, Air B&B, and some out to eat. With Rose parade tickets in hand, we will see you all at 4:30am as we head to the parade.
January 1st 4:30am The troupe has gathered and now we walk to the parade route to inspect all of the floats as they are lined up, waiting to go down Colorado Blvd. More pictures are taken, and the closeness of this group shines even brighter. We stop off at the Fiesta RV’s for a quick snack and a warm drink, then it’s time to head for the Tournament House for the big announcements!
At 6AM on New Year’s Day the winners are announced. This year for some unknown reason, or maybe it was pure luck, the design team had a front row spot to see the winners being announced. First the three judges were announced, two of which are members of our AIFD family: Keith White AIFD and Janet Gallagher AIFD.
Team Fiesta had six floats entered into the parade, and had six winning floats! The awards for Fiesta are as follows:
Sweepstakes : the UPS Store
Wrigley Legacy: Louisiana Office Tourism
Princess: City of Torrance
Theme: Kaiser Permanente
Queen: Aids Healthcare Foundation
Extraordinaire: Donate Life
After many photos were taken, smiles, hugs and even a few tears were shed, we set forth to go watch the 2022 Rose Parade; Dream, Believe Achieve, The Bloom is Back!
Two hours later, the parade is history for this year. More “goodbyes” and “see you laters” and the design team starts to head home. It’s been a fun week with these friends who have now become family. What makes this so great is the “family” atmosphere we create each year as we gather to Dream, Believe and Achieve more floral Dreams! Until next time, make all your dreams bloom with flowers! Laurel Hollopeter AIFD, CFD, IMF
