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Burbank continues work on Rose float

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About a dozen people gathered late Saturday morning to continue preparations for Burbank’s 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade float, “The Dream Machine,” in a warehouse near the downtown Metrolink Station.

A man with his hair in a ponytail, wearing a welder’s mask, sat on the floor, twisting, reaching and maneuvering his welding torch as sparks flew around him.

Semicircular wires lined the lower sides of the float, its metal and wood shape hinting at what is to come.

“I’m shaping the front edge of the float,” said Jon Reeves, who is working on his 10th float. “I’ve been building these clouds now for a couple of weeks and sort of finishing off where it ties into the main part of the base.”

“And at the moment, I built this piece a little bit low, and I need to adjust it so that it meets our minimum ground clearance,” Reeves, also the secretary for the Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn., said as he hammered at a section of wire.

A wood brick, eight inches tall, should fit under the base to tell Reeves if he’s measured the height accurately.

“I learned it all at the float,” Reeves said. “I like to joke that I failed wood shop and art class in high school, but this is metal shop, so this is different,” he said.

“The Dream Machine” features a boy sleeping on his bed on a cloud, dreaming of what he could become.

The float is in keeping with the “Just imagine ... “ theme of the parade to be held Jan. 2 in Pasadena.

On Dec. 10, another test drive is scheduled for the Rose Parade.

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-- Maria Hsin, Times Community News

Twitter: @mariahsin

Photo: The Burbank Tournament of Roses Association’s rendition of their 2012 float, “The Dream Machine.” Credit: Raul Roa/Staff Photographer.

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