Sun Valley resident Richelle Sanchez was driving home from church Sunday morning when she saw the head of a flower-covered tyrannosaurus rex peeking out of George Izay Park.
She followed the dinosaur head because she knew it was Burbank’s drive-in movie- themed float from Thursday’s 120th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.
The “3-D Double Feature” float arrived in the Burbank park, at 1111 W. Olive Ave., Saturday night, where it stayed on display until Tuesday.
“I think it’s unique,” Sanchez said. “It kind of makes you wish we still had a drive-in. It kind of takes you back.”
The city’s float was designed to look like a drive-in movie theater with a dinosaur jumping out of the screen toward a couple of dogs, who sat in a vehicle.
This year’s float was the first to include pyrotechnics and emit a popcorn scent, but it didn’t take home a trophy.
Burbank has won trophies for its floats five out of the last six years prior.
This year’s float was the city’s 75th entry at the Rose Parade.
Bob Hutt, Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn. vice president, was disappointed the float didn’t win because he said they tried to create a float that was different from others.
Their use of rose stems in the design and their specifically composed music was unique, he said.
Next year’s float design will weigh some of this year’s judges’ evaluations, Hutt said.
Hutt is already looking for design entries, which will be accepted until Jan. 28, for next year’s float.
Association treasurer Robin Hanna has worked on 23 floats and plans to work on next year’s float.
This year’s float, she said, mostly remained intact, with only a few flowers drying or falling off.
“It has held up pretty good,” Hanna said.
Resident Kathy Nealis and her children got to see the float before it was taken to Pasadena.
“It was pretty awesome,” she said.
She went to the park Sunday to see the float again and buy commemorative T-shirts for her children.
Float organizers conducted animation demonstrations for visitors so they could see how the float performed on the parade route.
“We are going to bring the kids back,” Nealis said.
The float will be taken apart Saturday at the float barn, at 123 W. Olive Ave.
