{"id":30,"date":"2015-09-23T13:19:04","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T18:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bcsparade.com\/?page_id=30"},"modified":"2016-09-30T19:24:42","modified_gmt":"2016-10-01T00:24:42","slug":"getting-started","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bcsparade.com\/?page_id=30","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first thing is to get yourself into the Christmas Spirit!<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Then you can start working on an idea that ties in with the theme. While many entries decorate using a general Christmas theme, the Parade is a lot more fun when people see your creativity roll past.<\/p>\n

Usually, the first step for construction is to find a flatbed trailer and something that will pull it. Then you can start shopping for all the decorations and skirting you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to fill out your entry form and get it delivered early. When it\u2019s Thanksgiving\u2026 it\u2019ll be too late to enter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are some great websites available to use for ideas and resources. WikiHow <\/a>has a list of the steps you\u2019ll take to build a successful float. Obviously, developing a theme is already handled for you, but WikiHow <\/a>thinks of a lot of pitfalls you might overlook if this is your first (or second) time to enter.<\/p>\n

Take a moment to check out these Google Images of Christmas Floats<\/a>\u00a0and see how\u00a0Ehow.com<\/a> has a different take on the float building process.<\/p>\n

If you want to buy professional materials, then Valley Decorating<\/a> is a vendor with a lot of helpful material calculators and blueprints. The Parade Committe doesn\u2019t recommend any particular vendor, but Valley seems to have put a lot of work into answering your questions. You\u2019ll always find the necessary lumber; and fabric at local stores.<\/p>\n

In the years gone by, many groups build the shell for the float and then put the finishing touches on in the line-up area after they\u2019re parked.<\/strong> This keeps the float from breaking when you tow it to the parade area. But, whatever you decide to do, make sure you allow enough time for things to go wrong, for a forgotten tool, and enough time for a hot cocoa break. After all, this is a Christmas Parade and Santa will be watching.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first thing is to get yourself into the Christmas Spirit! Then you can start working on an idea that ties in with the theme. While many entries decorate using a general Christmas theme, the Parade is a lot more … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"class_list":["post-30","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nGetting Started - The Bryan\/College Station Christmas Parade<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bcsparade.com\/?page_id=30\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Started - The Bryan\/College Station Christmas Parade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first thing is to get yourself into the Christmas Spirit! 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