By Kent Larsen

MoTab's Float is Largest

LANHAM, MARYLAND -- Hargrove, Inc., the company that is building the floats for George W. Bush's inaugural parade, has had to scramble to put together the floats for this year's parade. The delayed election results left the company with little time to design and build the floats, as well as prepare for the inauguration's nine balls, two dinners and two luncheons. But in spite of the delay, owner Earl C. Hargrove says he has the biggest float ever built for people to carry the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

"We built this float in two sections, from the axles up, it's got 16 wheels under it," says Hargrove. The float is 125 feet long and is decorated with a blue and while deck. On the deck sit graduated risers on which the Choir will stand.

But Hargrove didn't have to scramble at the last minute to build the Choir's float. It was left over from President Reagan's 1985 inaugural, when the 330-voice Choir was supposed to ride in the parade. However, that parade was cancelled due to bitterly cold temperatures, and the float was never used.

That float was built to replace a previous float that the Choir used. In 1981, Hargrove watched with horror as the Choir's float collapsed during a practice run.

Source:

Large Inauguration Floats Planned
(Long Island) NY Newsday (AP) 16Jan01 A3
By Derrill Holly: Associated Press Writer

Less pomp, more circumstance for Bush inauguration
Seattle WA Post-Intelligencer (Boston Globe) 18Dec00 A3
By Mary Leonard: Boston Globe