Iowa City floral manager realizes life-long dream by helping craft Rose Parade floats

Laurel Hollopeter's New Year's Day tradition revolves around parades and flowers.

He remembers waking up early as a kid to watch the annual Rose Parade, refusing to miss even one of the spectacular floats and riveting marching bands.

As he aged, Hollopeter's passion remained the same. His work as a Hy-Vee floral manager has allowed him to join the California magic for the last 15 years.

He's managed the floral department at the First Avenue Hy-Vee for 26 years, and for the last decade and a half he's taken a brief hiatus from his full-time job to travel to Pasadena, California, helping prepare for the annual parade, offering his expertise to the swatch of organizers.

While the New Year's Day spectacle isn't the biggest event in the floral industry, it is Hollopeter's favorite.

"I grew up with the Rose Parade; I would get up on New Year's morning and watch the rose floats go by," Hollopeter said.

Hollopeter was one of thousands of volunteers in his first year with the parade, many whom helped build the extravagant floats. The experience was invigorating, and he wanted to return.

A friend of Hollopeter's who worked at Fiesta Parade Floats put in a good word, which allowed the local floral manager to become a paid team member. A paid position with the Rose Parade is rare, usually comprised of 900 or so volunteers. Hollopeter's love for flowers and floats granted him a unique opportunity.

"There are people who have volunteered for years; it's something they love to do. And I was fortunate that I became a paid member, and I would still do it whether I was paid or not," said Hollopeter. "It's in my blood, and it's just for the love of the flowers, too."

More: Perry principal was trying to talk down school shooter before he was shot, daughter says

A week of hard work and fun

Hollopeter's Rose Parade journey starts on Christmas Day with a flight out of Des Moines, followed by a day of relaxation and mental preparation on Dec. 26.

The real madness begins on Dec. 27 with the first parade meetings where Hollopeter learns what float he'll be working on and where his talents are needed most.

"We get right to work after the meeting, and usually, the first day is just all prep work or getting the containers ready. Processing flowers, assessing the design and float," Hollopeter said. "Then there's a walkthrough with the team lead about the float so we know where everything's supposed to go and making sure everything mechanically is working stuff like that."

The designs begin to take shape on the second day, with each ensuing moment a lead-up to the parade. The days get longer as the event nears, which allows very little time for sleep. The artists quickly and meticulously craft each part of the float, readying for a national TV spotlight.

"(You don't) go home until it's done," Hollopeter said. "By the time we went through judging, I had been up for 36 hours."

The star of the show

Hollopeter helped build the Louisiana Tourism float, which won the 2024 Showmanship Award. The award is given to the float had the "Most outstanding display of Showmanship and Entertainment," according to the official Tournament of Roses website.

It was one of five awards given to Fiesta Parade Floats.

The float itself is 55 feet long, covered in thousands of roses, with nods to Cajun and jazz music, following the parade's theme of "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language." A larger-than-life jester was the focal point of the float, surrounded by second-line umbrellas and fleur-de-lis in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold.

Hollopeter enjoys the community and connections he has garnered at the Rose Parade, which draws him back year after year. He considers those friends he visits once a year a second family.

"It's just like another family," Hollopeter said. "I have my real family and my floral family."

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

More: Iowa City City Council approves resolution supporting ceasefire in Palestine, Israel

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City Hy-Vee floral manager aides Rose Parade prep