PARADE COUNTDOWN IS ON VOLUNTEERS READY FLOATS IN FINAL DAYS.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

PASADENA - Parked beside a yellow submarine that submerges itself behind waves made from flowers, Glendale's Rose Parade float - with its giant swan and rowboats - seems like a study in modesty.

But to the dozens of volunteers who have painstakingly fashioned the float from wires, canvas, dried seeds and flowers, their creation leaves them beaming with pride.

On Sunday, they put the finishing touches on the 17-foot tall coconut- scented, picturesque scene - when the float is complete, the swan will be surrounded by flowers and a couple will sit on a swing behind its outstretched wings - as it prepared to greet the world Wednesday at the 114th annual Rose Parade.

Glendale's entry, one of 55 scheduled to travel the 5 1/2-mile parade route on New Year's Day, was among 12 floats at the Rose Palace in Pasadena on Sunday, a day when workers chopped up thousands of flowers and adorned the floats with their colorful petals.

Sarah Hasenfus, 15, and Heather Cleal, 16, friends from Canoga Park High School, spent much of the day gluing red carnation petals to six heart-shaped platforms behind the swan.

``Last year I was jumping up and down and screaming when I saw our float go by,'' Hasenfus said. ``Hopefully they'll show these hearts (on television) so I can show my mom and my dad what I did.''

The Rose Palace buzzed with activity Sunday as workers erected a scaffolding around one float, only to tear it down within minutes before moving to the next one.

Cases of flowers were carted into the building, delivered before volunteers cut up the petals to be used on the floats.

As many as 450 volunteers labored on the pieces throughout the day, said Bill Lofthouse, president of Phoenix Decorating Co., which manages the float-building operation.

And they weren't alone. About a mile north, an additional 13 floats came to life in the Rosemont Pavilion, also operated by Phoenix Decorating Co.

Glendale's float will cost about $90,000, with slightly more than half coming from private donations, said Dave Weaver, a Glendale councilman and crew chief of the float-building effort.

Many floats cost $175,000 to $200,000 to build, and the floats with the most eye-catching animated features run as high as $250,000, Lofthouse said.

Farmers Insurance Group is building the yellow submarine, complete with telescope and observatory, that bobs up and down on a hydraulic lift over plant and other sea life.

The city of Los Angeles is marking the 100th anniversary of the Department of Water and Power with a wind-up DWP truck loaded with books and a birthday cake.

Glendale's swan isn't as large or fancy as some of its rivals, but its builders aren't envious. In fact, the Glendale float builders are taking time to decorate the neighboring International House of Pancakes float - the corporation is based in Glendale - and others.

``It doesn't matter who you belong to and how much your float costs, everything is equal and we all share,'' said Jim Sokoloff, Glendale's assistant crew chief.

Weaver added, ``It will be nice. You can't do this with the premise that you've got to win or else.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Sarah Hasenfus, 15, of Northridge and Heather Cleal, 16, of Canoga Park paste petals onto the city of Glendale's float.

(2 -- 3) The city of Glendale's Rose Parade sign sits on a table while volunteers work on the city's swan float. Glendale's entry is relatively modest, at $90,000, while those with animated features can cost as much as $250,000.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

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