The Family of Freemasonry Float

The Family of Freemasonry Float is sponsered by the Grand Lodge of California and through donations from Lodge's throughout the world. The design is worked on by the float comittee,usually about 9 people and their spouses.

They give the float company, Phoenix Decorating in Pasadena, CA. an idea and the company draws up several designs, one of which the committee selects for use.

After the design is chosen the company builds the body of the float by welding the frame over a carraige. The frame is then coccooned with foam.

After the foam sets it is painted the color that it will be when covered with flowers, seeds, leaves and other living plant materials. Everything on the outside of the float must be made up of materials that were once alive. Ii is also required that there be at least one rose on the float, (this could be a wild rumor but I don't think so).

The Float is decorated by members of the Masonic Youth Groups mainly, gleaned from local Bethel's, Assebly's and Chapters. Many Masons, White Shrine members and Eastern Star members also help on the Float. The Purveyor's of Amalika Shrine serve food to the float volunteers. These volunteers are not paid to work on the float and just do it for fun usually.

Dry Work, the placing of dry materials on the float, begins close to Thanksgiving and work is on Saturday's until the 26th of December. From the 26th of December to the day of the parade volunteers spend many hours getting the float ready for its trip down Colorado Blvd. on New Years Day.

The floats leave the building at around 7:00pm the night before the parade and take up to 7 hours to get lined up for the parade which starts about 3 blocks from the building site.

Members of the Grand Lodge Float Committee in the Past have included the following Mason's; Mr. Russ Mandell (deceased January 2nd, 1997), Mr. Paul Van Den Brink, Mr. Gaylord Roten, Mr. Don Rickibaugh (deceased), Mr. Jack Rose, Mr. Stan Shannon, Past Grand Master of California, and many others. Women who have served the comittee are; Mrs. Karen Van Den Brink and Mrs. Melissa Cronen both liasons for Rainbow, myself Miss Michele Brown, Mrs. Judy Rickabaugh, and many others.

I was involved in the first few years on the Family of Freemasonry Float. I sold souvenirs for the Float Committee and ran the committee sign-in, from there moving up to a security position with the Float Company.

Any questions can be directed to the Grand Lodge of California Float Committee or myself, M. Michele Brown.