LCF Tournament’s newly hatched Rose Parade float, ‘Dodo Bird Flight School,’ to take wing
There’s a new float in town — the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn. recently unveiled the theme and design for what will be the group’s 42nd entry into the 2020 Rose Parade in Pasadena.
“Dodo Bird Flight School” depicts a flock of flightless birds attempting to take flight with various aids, including makeshift wings, whirligig contraptions and a gigantic zeppelin manned by a dodo bird captain.
The comical entry illustrates this year’s Rose Parade theme, “The Power of Hope,” announced in January by 2019-20 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn. President Laura Farber.
“With hope — anything, in fact, everything is possible,” Farber said in a statement following the announcement. “Through hope, we can aspire to be our best and in turn inspire those around us to reach higher.”
Chuck Terhune, construction chair for the La Cañada Flintridge float, said the design was selected from among 118 entries submitted this year. “Dodo Bird Flight School” quickly stood out as a challenging but exciting contender.
“It’s going to be an interesting one to build,” Terhune said, describing flapping wings, spinning propellers and a stand-alone satellite float that will accompany the main entry. “Animation is going to be kind of a challenge, but it’s nothing we haven’t done before.”
To inspire the passel of volunteers who will work long hours to weld, shape, build, paint and decorate this year’s entry, association members crafted their very own “Ode to the Flightless Bird”:
Since the beginning of time courageous flightless birds have longed to unearth the enigma of flight. Their enduring optimism and ingenuity has fashioned together a zany zeppelin flight school. Rising up through the clouds, kiwis, emus, penguins and ostriches learn from their winged cousins how to fly the skies with all manner of mechanical thingamajigs on the Dodo Bird Flight School.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
