CITIES' DESIGNS GAINING SHAPE BURBANK, GLENDALE MAKE ROSE PARADE PLANS.

Byline: Susan Abram and Helen Gao Staff Writers

If the giant swan surrounded by water lilies doesn't elicit memories of childhood fantasies, then maybe the smiling octopus waving around a bath brush will.

Riding the theme of ``Children's Dreams, Imaginations and Wishes'' Glendale and Burbank have unveiled float designs for the Jan. 1 Tournament of Roses Parade, promising more extravagance than in years past.

More than 100 entry designs were delivered to the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association this year, including one from New York. But it was North Hollywood resident Julianne Buescher's ``Bath Time Friends'' featuring a boy in a tub surrounded by a smiling octopus and other sea creatures, that made the final cut.

``The first thing I ever wanted to do as a child was draw comic books,'' Buescher said, but she never expected her imagination to go this far.

For Buescher, a 37-year-old actress and filmmaker, the acceptance of her design marks a sweet moment in her life.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, she remembers watching the Rose Parade that year and making a bet with herself: If Ohio State beats Arizona State at the Rose Bowl, then she would beat cancer.

Ohio State did win: 20 to 16, and so did she. Five years later, she's cancer-free.

Burbank's Tournament of Roses Association chose the design because of the endless mechanical possibilities. The 15-foot-tall octopus will wave its arms, bubbles will pop up from the boy's bathtub, and there may be a few more animated creatures on board.

``We've always looked for designs that are challenging,'' said the project's construction manager, Jennifer Edward. ``The arms (of the octopus) will be interesting. We'll want to make sure the arms don't hit the boy on the head.''

Burbank is one of a handful of cities that still designs and builds its own floats, and workers will be on hand throughout the summer inside the Burbank Water and Power Department's Lake Avenue site, constructing the ``guts,'' or insides, before any petal or seed can be glued on the outside in late December.

Glendale's 2003 float will feature a giant swan surrounded by water lilies and youngsters on a swing under a heart-shape arbor in the background.

Measuring 35 feet long, 17 feet high and 18 feet wide, the float will also carry four young people in small boats on either side of the swan.

The Glendale Rose Float Association unveiled the design, titled ``Enchanting Dreams,'' to the City Council late Tuesday and was granted $90,000 for its construction.

``In the past, (the city's floats) were not heavily endowed with flowers. This year's will be much more floral,'' said Paul Estep, president of the association. ``We think we would be in the possible ballpark for a prize.''

The city's 2002 float entry, a replica of a Bob's Big Boy drive-in restaurant complete with carhops, was made largely with dried crushed flowers and seeds.

The swan design was conceived by the famed Phoenix Decorating Co., which is also building the city's float. It beat out 16 ideas submitted by residents in the community.

Association members said they chose the swan design because it best fit the 2003 parade theme.

Glendale's 2003 float will be the city's 88th entry in the 114-year-old Tournament of Roses Parade, making it the second-longest-standing participant.

Over the years, Glendale's floats have won 38 major awards, including 12 sweepstakes for the most beautiful float in the parade, but the city has not won any awards in the past few years.

``Now it's much more difficult to win, (competing) with the commercial people with big bucks,'' said Estep, who noted that in the past floats by cities were judged in a separate category from floats paid by corporations with deep pockets.

Although the parade is still six months away, Councilman Dave Weaver, who is a board member of the association, said the skeleton and mechanical components of the float are nearly done.

In the meantime, Weaver said he is also busy planning Dreaming of Roses, the association's main fund-raiser for the float. Money generated by the event will be used to refund the city a portion of its cost.

Dreaming of Roses is scheduled for Sept. 8 at the DreamWorks campus. Entertainment will be provided by the Citrus College dance orchestra. Thirty-five local restaurants, breweries and wineries will donate food and drinks.

Tickets are $50 per person and can be reserved by calling [phone].