Cal Poly’s half of Rose Parade float headed to Pomona

Cal Poly students have packed up their half of this year’s float for transport Saturday to Pomona, where both halves of the float chassis will be bolted together and decorated with flowers for the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 2.

The 2017 float, “A New Leaf,” will be completed over the next 10 weeks.

The two Cal Poly campuses team up each year to produce the float for the internationally televised parade.

“A New Leaf” features “an animated family of chameleons exploring the wonders of a vibrantly colorful world around them,” according to a Cal Poly statement. It will be the only student-built float in the parade, which is being held Jan. 2, a day later than usual, because the parade is never held on a Sunday. Tournament officials began that tradition in 1893 to avoid frightening horses that would be hitched outside churches, according to the parade website.

 “A New Leaf,” Cal Poly’s 2017 entry in the Rose Parade, will feature an animated family of chameleons exploring the wonders of a vibrantly colorful world around them. This is a rendering of their creation. It will be the only student-built float in the New Year’s Day classic, which is being held a day later than usual on Jan. 2. Rendering courtesy of Cal Poly

Students in San Luis Obispo will be making multiple treks to Pomona over the next few months. A special ceremony will be held in the coming weeks at which the float chassis will be bolted together — a literal and symbolic melding of the student groups from each campus.

Later, volunteers from the community will be called upon to assist the teams in decorating the float.

The public can register now to participate in Deco Week, scheduled Dec. 26 through 31. The decorating takes place in a tent near the Rose Bowl. All ages and skill levels are welcome to help.

For more details, go to www.asi.calpoly.edu/university_union/rose_float.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Cal Poly’s half of Rose Parade float headed to Pomona."