| FLOAT THEME: |
Aloha Festival
Since our inception over 60 years ago our focus has been on preventing illness and injury through taking a broad and active view of health. We believe that good health is not something that is created solely in a doctor’s office but is realized every day by the choices we make in what we eat and how we choose to live our lives. To recognize the world’s celebrations, Aloha Festival is a celebration and appreciation of life in Hawaii, commonly known as the Aloha Spirit. The Aloha Spirit refers to the attitude which is the Hawaiian Islands are so famous for or to achieve any state of mind and body that you desire. We encourage healthy choices on a daily basis to create a lifestyle which enable individuals to achieve a state of mind of complete wellness.
The Aloha Festival in Hawaii is an annual celebration that perpetuates the unique cultural traditions of Hawaii. Much like this festival, Kaiser Permanente celebrates and perpetuates the tradition of Total Health. The Aloha Festival integrates cultural music, dance, cuisine and art. All of these elements are essential and contribute to Kaiser Permanente’s culture of complete wellness through a healthy mind, body and spirit.
Spanning through 8 regions across the nation, in 2008, we wanted to acknowledge Kaiser Permanente’s 50 years of healthy living in our Hawaiian region. We believe that health is about a life in balance and not just absence of sickness. The things we eat and the activities that fill our days have a direct impact on our health and our ability to get the most out of life. We chose a float theme that would depict this relationship through the Hawaiian culture. |
| FLOAT DESCRIPTION: |
Height: 30 Feet
Width: 18 Feet
Length: 55 Feet
When you think of Hawaii, magnificent visions of lush tropical white sand beaches, floral-perfume trade winds and swaying palm trees come to mind. You can almost hear the songs of the ukulele over the soft lapping of turquoise-blue waves. Hawaii is paradise to the soul and this whimsical Hawaiian floral treat is sure to bring a warm pleasure to all on this winter’s day. The unsurpassed beauty of Hawaii, its people and its majestic history are celebrated in this floral salute to the Aloha Festival. Four sculpted children over 8 feet tall are festooned in oversized haku leis and floral wreaths. One child paddles the enormous outrigger canoe as they sail more than 6 feet high over floral waves of 25,000 Absolute white roses, dendrobium and phalaenopsis orchids and 12,000 light and dark blue iris, delphinium and hydrangea blossoms. The outrigger sets the stage as the other sculpted children “play” Hawaiian music with a flute (Ohe-hano-ihu) and ukulele. Their passengers and performers on the street dance to traditional and modern hulas. Shimmering dolphins, moving up and down 7 feet, frolic through a cascade of sparkling floral ocean waves cresting upon sea turtles, shells and starfish scattered upon the ocean floor of roses and iris. Oversized floral fan, palm trees with sculptured hibiscus flowers and croton leaves complete this island paradise.
The beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and the rich tradition of the annual Aloha Festival are enjoyed by all with this highly entertaining and floral float. |
| FLOWERING: |
A masterpiece of intricate floral detail emphasizes the graceful sculptures of the life-like sea animals and the manicured beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. The sculpted Hawaiian boys wear pants created yellow and green button mums with the girls wearing Kikepas woven from peach lentil, orange marigolds and dehydrated carrots with accents of white coconut chips. Their sun-tanned skin is created in walnut shell with hair of shinny nyger seed. The oversized floral Lei Po’os (head lei) and leis worn by the sculpted figures and all live performers were especially created by Hawaiian floral designers just for the Kaiser Permanente float. Beneath a floral fan crafted in lima and white beans individually applied, and purple dendrobium orchids, the outrigger canoe has been craftfully created in brown flax seed with tapa designed inspired accents of salt cedar sticks, macadamia, almond and Brazillian nuts with coffee beans on malaleuca bark. Overflowing from the outrigger canoe and into the cool seas below are magnificent floral displays of orchids, euphorbia, bird of paradise, Obake and Ozaki anthuriums, banksia, ginger, heliconia, gold roses and fresh bananas and pineapples. Strung leis of tuberose, crown flowers, dendrobium orchids and clover blossoms, all from Hawaii, are featured throughout the float. Waves of 25,000 white Absolute roses, dendrobium orchids and sprays of phalaenopsis orchids sweep over oceans design from 12,000 light and dark blue iris, delphinium and hydrangea blossoms. Cascading from floral palm trees, decorated in coconut chips, are thousands of purple dendrobium orchids and lavender cattleya orchids. Petals of shimmering silver leaf protea create the dolphins while the sea turtles have been decorated from mung and split pea beans individually placed side by side to simulate patterns on the back of their shells.
Waves of over 25,000 white Absolute roses, dendrobium orchids and sprays of phalaenopsis orchids sweep over oceans design from 12,000 light and dark blue iris, delphinium and hydrangea blossoms. Cascading from floral palm trees, decorated in coconut chips, are 5000 purple dendrobium orchids and lavender cattleya orchids.
The oversized floral Lei Po’os (head lei) and leis worn by the sculpted figures and all live performers were especially created by Hawaiian floral designers just for the Kaiser Permanente float. Strung leis of tuberose, crown flowers, dendrobium orchids and clover blossoms, all from Hawaii, are featured throughout the float. Lining the hull of the canoe, Hawaiian inspired tapa designs are created in salt cedar sticks, macadamia, almond and Brazillian nuts with coffee beans on malaleuca bark. |
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