COUNT ME IN: The San Fernando Valley...

COUNT ME IN: The San Fernando Valley will be well-represented when the 107th Tournament of Roses Parade gets underway this morning in Pasadena. . . . Four children from Canoga Park Elementary School will ride on Los Angeles’ float, a replica of the old Angels Flight trolley. . . . Led by Grand Marshal Kermit the Frog, the 1996 parade celebrates “kids’ laughter and dreams.”

FLYING HIGH: Burbank’s float, “Dreamflight,” which is one of more than 100 entries, depicts a young boy and his pet dragon soaring through the skies. For volunteers, this year’s challenge was how to represent a sunset with roses of various hues. . . . “I thrive this time of year,” says Jennifer Edward, who supervised the $60,000 float’s creation. “The stress is terrible but I love being able to do it.”

NO SWEAT: Dave Weaver, however, says he looks forward to float building as a way to escape stress. Weaver, above, takes a week off each year to work on Glendale’s float. This year’s entry? “Mother Goose Stories,” a re-creation of classic nursery rhymes with Mayor Rick Reyes as Old King Cole. . . . “This is my vacation,” Weaver says. “It’s fun.”

MARCHING ON: Making his fourth parade appearance as a flag-bearer with the Salvation Army Band, Jonathan Knapp says he still enjoys marching. Although the parade audience will include an estimated 450 million television viewers, Knapp, a captain at the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center in Van Nuys, says he’s unfazed. . . . “It’s never affected me,” he says. “I guess I’m kind of a public person. I just worry about the block I’m on.”

BIG DREAM: A “Dream Up Our Float” contest by Glendale-based International House of Pancakes drew more than 8,000 suggestions from across the country. . . . The winning idea, by 11-year-old Michigan resident Steven Lambert, inspired IHOP’s 24th parade entry, “Elephant Antics.” . . . Best of all, Steven gets to ride on the float.