For mother-daughter duo Donna Flanagin and Erica George, float making isn’t just a hobby; it’s a lifelong passion that has brought a bit of sparkle to Valparaiso’s Popcorn Parade for almost two decades. It all began in 2006 when Flanagin was walking the route with family and employees of Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service alongside her husband’s red, antique truck simply decorated to match the theme of that year’s parade.
“I have the vision, and then my daughter literally does the work,” Flanagin said. “My little title for her is Imagineer Extraordinaire. She is so talented, and it's really fun for me to watch it come to life. I think the ideas up, and she makes them happen.”
Over time, that float has undergone some magical evolutions, eventually becoming home base for the Flanagin Fairies. Most recently, the fairies went all out with a Cinderella Goes Glamping-themed float in the 2024 route, made complete with a storybook castle design that had onlookers enchanted from the beginning of the magical day.
Flanagin, George, and their crew now have many years of float experience under their wings and have since crafted a list of how to bring the home of the Flanagin Fairies to life each year. They are excited to share what they’ve learned with others – it was a magical experience watching the floats evolve from a simple design on a truck to a full-on castle. They want as many as possible to get in on the fun, whether it be for the Popcorn Parade or any other parade along the way.
Check out the list below for some tips and tricks to get started or enhance your float today so you, too, can get in on all the fun for your next parade!
Prepare, prepare, prepare!
It’s never too early to start planning no matter how far away the parade or event may seem. Flanagin noted that her planning process for the upcoming Popcorn Parade typically begins a couple weeks after the previous one ends, giving her as much time to prepare as possible.
“There are limited spots, so they can't have an extremely long parade. You have to prepare ahead of time,” Flanagin said. “You have to think about it and get ready, or you may not get in the parade, but it can be something simple.”
Time and preparation also come in handy when finding the right materials for your float. Flanagin noted that right after Christmas is a great time to do some float shopping. All the decorations have gone on sale and can come quite handy when putting the float together. One year, for example, Flanagin used Christmas garland that she found at 50% off in a Hobby Lobby to create a cupcake holder on one of her floats, making a sweet and shimmering effect.
It additionally helps to get ahead of the game as much as possible – it could potentially save a ton of time, money, stress, and even sleep, something you’ll be very thankful for once parade day rolls around.
“The Popcorn Parade will put out the theme in February, so you have plenty of time,” Flanagin said. “If you think you're going to do it, find out what the theme is. Sit down early on to get your idea, and then things will start to fall into place. I suggest that you build what you can ahead of time because it'll save a lot of time later. When you're actually constructing, you're often renting a trailer or borrowing somebody's truck, and you can't put everything together until the last minute. If it's already built, it's not as bad as being up until 3 in the morning on Friday night for the Popcorn Parade the next day.”
Get creative on a budget
Creativity is a big part of float making, both when thinking up the concepts and the creation process itself. However, designing the perfect float doesn’t have to break the bank. Throughout the year, Flanagin frequents stores such as Family Dollar, Michael’s, home improvement stores, and even rummage sales to find the items she needs to get the job done. She additionally advises checking out clearance sales to find items at very low prices – sometimes no more than a couple dollars.
She usually isn’t purchasing the pieces as they appear on the floats right off the shelves. With a creative spin, everyday household objects can quickly turn into something spectacular. Take vinyl flooring for example – with some configuration and paint, it soon became a party blower on the fairies’ Celebrate float a few years back.
“You can get remnants for cheap – the thinner, the better because it’s much easier to work with,” Flanagin said. “It’s thinner, and you don't really care what's on the other side. It can be very ugly, but you don't care because you won't see it. The opposite side paints really well, and you just roll it down with a roller. You can change the color of it completely. We rolled up the vinyl and then made it into a party blower.”
Other fun contraptions Flanagin has made include transforming pool noodles, cardboard, old furniture, fake grass, and other reusable products to bring the floats to life each year.
“What we started doing is using the same base every year on the same vehicle or on the same trailer. If that's an option, that's a good way to do it. That way, you don't have to do it over and over again,” Flanagin said. “The first time we were a little more elaborate was actually with the Cinderella carriage. It was a Cinderella bed to start with, and then we decorated it up from there and added a carousel horse. Our skirting that we used for years was actually fake grass that came off of a football field.”
What’s a float in the Popcorn Parade without a bit of appreciation for the well-loved snack? While placing actual popcorn straight out of the bag would be a challenge and allow insects to frequent the float, using different parts of the corn itself is an easy way to work around these challenges. Flanagin and George have popped off with some creative ideas in years past.
“In the early years, we had popcorn products,” Flanagin said. “You can use corn stalks, unpopped corn, popped corn, cornmeal. We used to mix cornmeal and glitter, spray glue, and then put it on the float – there were popcorn products on there, but you didn't necessarily know it. There are a lot of corn products out there that you can work with. If you take corn on the cob and you peel back the leaves, you have the silk you can work with. Dry out the leaves, and now they're paintable. You can turn those into flowers. We painted them one year in reds, oranges, and yellows to make a flame.”
Fine netting also does wonders to create that popcorn effect. Flanagin once covered and painted a big ball of netted popcorn bright yellow to resemble the buttery snack. In addition to giving off the desired effect, it also helps prevent things from blowing away should weather conditions not be in your favor the day of the parade.
“The popcorn is controlled at that point; it's not going to blow all over the place. We actually did a roadway with it, where I laid the netting down first, then put the popcorn on it, and took the netting and covered over and stapled it down. Now, we had a big popcorn roadway, and it didn't blow around. I didn't have to glue it down. Gluing is difficult because the more you glue on the popcorn, the worse it is for reusing it the next year. Anybody who's going to create a float that they'd like to use over and over again needs to find ways to be able to discard all the popcorn.”
Finding reusable content also plays a big part in bringing floats to life each year. It’s easy for certain objects or materials to wear down over time, so finding some that can weather the storm if they encounter harsh conditions is ideal in every situation. Reusable items additionally save time and money as you don’t have to buy items twice and can reuse them for as long as you would like. This especially came in handy when placing popcorn on the floats.
“If you think you're going to do it over and over again, I recommend investing in things that you can use over and over again or at least for several years. Even though it's a little bit more painful the first year, you don't have to buy anything at all the next year,” Flanagin said.
Start small, grow big
If it’s your first float, don’t feel pressured to go all out. Designing floats is a learning process. Flanagin advises starting with a few different ideas, seeing how they go, and taking it from there. Starting small also lets you get in on the fun without any expectations or projects weighing on your shoulders.
Flanagin is forever glad that her team started with the red antique truck. Not only was it simple to design but it also allowed for some quality memories along the way as the team eased into the floats making their way through the Popcorn Parade today. For that alone, she couldn’t be more grateful and is thrilled to see so many others do the same along the way.
For more information on Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, please visit mybulkmail.com.