Lions Club International Commissions $100k Rose Parade Float, Biggest to Date for Club

The Lions Club International commissioned their biggest Rose Parade float to date at a luncheon Tuesday, where club representatives presented Pasadena’s Phoenix Decorating the first check towards its $100,000 commitment to fund creation of the club’s special float commemorating 100 years of global service.

“Phoenix has the honor of building floats for many service organizations, but one of my favorite groups that we work with are the Lions,” said Phoenix Decorating’s President/CEO Chris Lofthouse.

Lions first displayed a float in the 1948 Rose Parade. Since 1992 the club has continuously presented a float in the New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade. Each year Lions Club International’s President and First Lady ride the float in the parade and are viewed by an estimated 400 million people in 85 countries around the world.

“Chris and his company have always put the best possible float out with the money that we have been able to put into these creations,” said Lions Club Pasadena member Richard Kasten.

Phoenix Decorating Company has rolled out 693 floats in the Tournament of Roses Parades, with 220 capturing awards since the company’s founding in 1983.

Lofthouse has been involved in the float industry his entire life and is well versed in the elaborate use of hydraulics, mechanics, digital sound systems, animatronics and other computer systems associated with powering mammoth floats effectively down the parade routes.

“This is going to be a very special float. It’s here for the Lions to come out and participate and rally around the float that represents this organization as a whole. The process of making it just as important as it is seeing it in the parade,” said Lofthouse.

Lofthouse’s experience also includes building floats and other event showcases for the Coca Cola 100th Anniversary Celebration, Orange Bowl Parade, Kentucky Derby Festival, Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade, and National Day Celebration in Singapore.

“It feels great to work together year after year,” said Lighthouse whose company has partnered with the Lions Club Pasadena since its inception in 1983.

Lofthouse mentioned that any extra help from fellow Lions who want to help decorate will surely help the crew at Phoenix Decorating Inc. finish this challenging task.

“We certainly need a lot of volunteers to make this happen,” said Lofthouse.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.

“The most exciting thing is that people come from all over to see these floats and this one is going to be our best one yet. It’s special,” said Kasten.

The Centennial Theme is: “Where There is a Need, There is a Lion” with the Centennial goal of serving 200 million people by July 2018, according to a press release.

For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the Web site at lionsclubs.org.

To learn more about the Lions Float, visit lionsrosefloat.com.