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Volunteers prepare local Rose Parade entry

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Twenty years ago, longtime Burbank resident Linda Cozakos worked as the raccoon mascot at the Saugus Speedway for a season before it closed.

Her 7-foot costume, currently stored in the rafters of her Burbank garage, was the inspiration behind her idea for the Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn.’s rose float, which she co-designed — via email — with artist Adam Ostegard, who currently lives in Shanghai.

Titled “Are We There Yet?,” the float features an animated raccoon family taking a last-minute vacation on a 1948 Ford woodie wagon and a teardrop trailer — both built to actual size.

It’s fitting for Burbank, where residents often see raccoons on their front porches or in their neighborhoods, said Cozakos, who is the first “white suiter,” or member of the Tournament of Roses Assn., to design a parade float.

The float features all of California’s national parks, whether they’re listed on directional signs, stickers on suitcases or maps.

“No matter where you look, you will have something to look at,” Cozakos said of the float.

Each day this week, more than 200 volunteers gathered to decorate the float.

“Some stay an hour, some stay all day,” said Steve Edward, vice president of the association. “We appreciate each and every one of them.”

In response to the state’s ongoing drought, the association, with the help of Burbank Water and Power, has used only recycled water to keep the flowers alive and fresh, Edward said.

It’s something Edward anticipates will become a Burbank rose float tradition.

“We’re doing our small part in helping the city and the state during this drought,” Edward said.

Next Monday and Tuesday, the float will be on display around-the-clock on the corner of Olive Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard.

The association is looking for volunteers to help dismantle the float on Jan. 9.

For more information, visit burbankrosefloat.com.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek

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