PORT TOWNSEND — A borrowed parade float temporarily replacing the Rhododendron Festival float that burned is being renovated and will be ready for a parade in Olympia on Saturday.
“We are going to work on building a new float and will have it up and running for the Olympia parade,” said Christie Hensley, Rhododendron Festival president.
“We then need to turn our efforts toward getting a permanent new float for next year.”
The current float, which is more than 20 years old, caught fire June 27 after appearing in the Fathoms O’ Fun parade in Port Orchard.
There were no injuries, although the float was destroyed along with a new sound system and personal property.
Within a week, the organization was offered the use of an auxiliary float from the Lilac Festival in Spokane.
It was transported from Spokane to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds earlier this month.
A crew began work on rebuilding the float Friday night, creating four stanchions for the Rhody queen and three princesses to stand on during the upcoming parades.
Since the fire, Rhody royalty has appeared at the Forks Fourth of July celebration and the McCleary Bear Festival. They rode in borrowed convertibles and open-air vehicles.
Four more appearances are scheduled this season. After that, the organization will begin the design and construction of a new float that Hensley hopes will last another 20 years.
The borrowed float will be redecorated, but its lavender color is “in the same family” as the Rhody Festival’s standard pink, Hensley said.
At the end of each season, the float is stripped down to the frame, then reconstructed to reflect the next year’s theme, which is usually selected in January.
Hundreds of hours of labor go into designing and rebuilding the float, Hensley said.
The job will be more challenging this year because they are starting from scratch, she said.
A basic frame for an independently operating parade float is $6,000 to $7,000, then additional parts are added on, Hensley said.
A crowdfunding campaign is among the efforts to raise money for the float.
As of Saturday afternoon, www.gofundme.com/rhodyfestivalfloat had raised $2,365 toward a $20,000 goal.
There are ways to save money, Hensley said.
For instance, festival volunteers can purchase refurbished automobile engines from Asia that have just over 50,000 miles of wear.
This can last a long time for a parade float that travels about 10 miles during each event.
Aside from cash contributions, the Rhody Festival also is recruiting volunteers to help build the new float, especially craftspeople like carpenters and electricians, Hensley said.
The new float will be designed with separate movable stanchions as well as “lots of nooks and crannies” that will enhance the float’s flexibility, Hensley said.
Contributions of surplus wood and steel also will be helpful in the construction of the new float, she said.
“We are optimistic that we will get all the money and the resources to build a new float that will last at least another 20 years,” Hensley said.
“If we don’t get all the funds immediately, we will find a way to get it done.”
For more information, go to www.rhodyfestival.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
