The owner of Christopher’s Creations in Middlesboro, Kentucky volunteered to help decorate floats in the Rose Bowl Parade.
New Year’s Day is a big football day with a lot of Bowl Games. One of them is the Rose Bowl.
Festivities started Wednesday morning with the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.
Sometimes it is tough to see on TV, but all of those individual flowers on the floats are fresh; no artificial flowers or plants allowed.
A designer in Kentucky talked with us before he left for California to help with the Rose Parade floats.
His name is Christopher Branham.
Eight years ago he saw what was then an empty storefront.
“I was driving down through Middlesboro and saw a store and thought I would just open up a flower shop. No experience or nothing so I am pretty much self taught,” Christopher Branham said. “I started out with flowers and just designing and started looking at magazines to teach myself how to do it.”
He taught himself well. The owner of Christopher’s Creations in Middlesboro, Kentucky is a Certified Floral Designer, Vice President of the East Tennessee Professional Florist Association, and the winner of a trophy for Designer of the Year.
A friend of his in the East Tennessee Professional Florist Association invited him to volunteer to help with the floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
“I never thought I would be there doing it. This is very exciting for me,” Christopher said.
Expectations?
“He’s not told me a whole lot. He’s just told me wear comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, and let’s work hard. “A lot of work. I see a lot of work ahead,” he said. “I’m going to take my work tools and show up.”
He’s been hard at work in Pasadena for almost a week. Photos show what he’s been doing on the float called “K9s 4 Cops.” It features a giant dog. From Pasadena, he said the experience has been wonderful. He is amazed that the floats are made of all natural, live plants and each one is carefully placed in its own water pick or water tube. One of his responsibilities was creating big white flowers filled with roses.
Something he anticipated correctly? Long hours.
“Very long hours from like 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every night and then I guess on New Year’s Eve I guess until we’re done,” he said.
They finished in time! And Christopher Branham accomplished what he said he wanted to.
“I’m sure I’m going to learn more. That’s the whole thing about floral is learning more and teaching more and being more educated,” he said.
http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/five-at-four/2014/01/02/tournament-of-roses-parade-kentucky-florist/4291423/