PALMDALE'S COMING UP ROSES FLOAT BUILDS PRIDE IN CITY.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- The first day of work on Palmdale's 2007 Rose Parade float is coming up with a full roster of volunteers and healthy commitments for donations and in-kind services.

Six hundred volunteers -- the city's goal -- have signed up to decorate the float, which will carry a floral mother tortoise and two hatchlings crawling in a desert landscape of Joshua trees and wildflowers.

Palmdale officials said the numbers indicate they are achieving one of their goals of fielding a float -- helping build community pride.

``We're seeing a lot of enthusiasm,'' said Mayor Jim Ledford. ``What we get out of this you can't put a price to.''

This Saturday will be the first day volunteers head out to Duarte to work on it. In all, volunteers will work in 14 different shifts over seven days between Saturday and New Year's Day.

Called ``Good Nature Begins at Home,'' the 35-foot-long float will be covered with more than 20,000 roses in colors including golden rust, light and deep coral, and glowing orange.

The tortoises' skin will be decorated with carrot and radish seeds while their shells will be covered with Brazil and macadamia nuts, black beans, cinnamon bark, montera leaves, sea grape leaves and cobra leaves.

Orchids, black lichen moss, green split pea, mung beans and eucalyptus will cover other parts of the float.

Like the 2006 entry, the float was designed by Raul Rodriguez and is being built by Fiesta Floats in Duarte. The city is spending $150,000 for the float's design and construction.

The city is also seeking to augment that funding with about $90,000 in donations and in-kind services. That effort is geared toward the volunteers - providing transportation, T-shirts, food, drinks and prizes.

``We have $20,000 in cash already,'' said Laura Biery, who is heading up the project for the city. ``In terms of pledges, we're right about there (the $90,000 goal).''

The city's Rose Parade participation is aimed at improving Palmdale's image around California and the United States while at the same time building community pride among residents, Ledford said.

``For a lot of people this is their first taste of Palmdale,'' Ledford said.

The city's 2006 entry, ``A Magical Place to Call Home,'' won the Princess Trophy, which goes to the most beautiful float 35 feet in length or less.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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An artist's conception of the 2007 Palmdale Rose Parade float is displayed in the Palmdale City Council chambers. The first day of work on the float will be Saturday, with 600 volunteers signed up to help decorate. The 35-foot-long float called ``Good Nature Begins at Home,'' will be covered with more than 20,000 roses.