It was so cool to participate in a volunteer event here. I have only been to the parade maybe once, but watched the floats many times on TV.
It's something to be so up close and a get to be a part of the small section of the float.
It's located at a warehouse, was told to wear grubby clothes and to dress warm from other colleagues that have done this event before.
The entrance to the gated parking lot for the parade company is just passed the guard gate. There's a sign for the Parade company at the guard gate and the fence and gated entrance is right after the guard gate on the left.
Keep an eye out for the extremely color blovkdftbuilding, that's where you'll be parking near.
You enter by ringing the doorbell and the reception will let you in and guide you to the room for your team.
They will soon be opening up the Saturday volunteer events for family members, and The Lake. They also suggested previous volunteers to come after hours uncertain days through the week as well to help out.
The team was working on seven floats for the Thanksgiving parade this year.
They will often repair and refurbish older floats to use again. I think Russ said their oldest float is from the late 90s. Russ works in the paint department.
You can definitely see some very distinct characteristic floats, and heads throughout the warehouse.
It's really large warehouse with big skylights that can make it very hot if it's warmer outside. Today was a perfect day inside, since it was only about 74° outside.
It's really a fun event to do with your team members at a corporation or anywhere.
They do provide gloves, aprons, paint brushes, and rolling pins. I think it would probably make sense to use nicer, rolling pins and paint brushes, since they get a little gunk up and messed up, which then can cause some clumps and junk as your paint.
At the end of your volunteer event, the team will go through and rinse off all the rollers, paint brushes, and are asked to put back any unused paint into the main paint pale.
I would definitely come again, it was my first time participating in making a section of a parade float.
There are other corporations represented, most likely from my same company. read more