Wednesday, January 11, 2012

How to Decorate Your Golf Cart for a Parade

Written by Michelle Brown

The great thing about having a golf cart as your canvas is that the possibilities are virtually limitless. And with a max speed of about 15 miles per hour, you can be confident that your lead foot won’t be the reason for your float’s demise.

If there’s a parade coming up and you’d like to participate by appearing in a float, the good news is that it really isn’t as difficult as one may thing to design a float. All you need is a golf cart (hopefully you have one stowed away or can borrow one rather than buying a brand new one), some creativity and a local craft store nearby.

Now the amount of detail that needs to be put into the float is determined by what sort of parade the cart will be in. If you’re going to be in the Macy’s parade, then prepare to put a lot more work into your float. If it’s a local holiday parade, like maybe an Easter parade, then it won’t be as much work.

Also keep in mind any restrictions the parade may have such as height and/or weight constrictions. Remember to check if there is an entry deadline and any rules and regulations regarding safety requirements.

So the first thing to do is to clear out the golf cart. Clear the inside and outside from any extra golf cart accessories, clutter, debris, mud, dirt, etc. You’ll also want to give it a good washing so that any adhesives from flowers or flags will stick effortlessly.

Then you’ll want to brainstorm about the particular scene you wish to display. Take our Easter example. You’ll want some fake grass, plastic eggs, stuffed bunnies and chicks, colorful baskets, flowers, tinsel, balloons, clovers and maybe some chocolates you can throw into the crowd.

Remember that you want to create a coherent landscape on your cart. Don’t just throw a couple of baskets here, a few eggs there—make it consistent.

Also try using every available space on the cart. You can even use the steering wheel so long as it doesn’t interfere with actually steering the cart. You could try wrapping tinsel around it or gluing small toys to it.

Once you have the outside part decorated, don’t forget about adding some decorations to the roof of the cart. Once again sticking to our Easter theme, try hanging plastic eggs from the bottom as well as filling balloons with helium and adding those to the top of the golf cart roof. Having objects that are mobile will lend to a much more aesthetically pleasing float, rather than having everything tied or glued down.

Once you have your cart completely decorated, you’ll want to take it out of a test ride. This will help determine if any pieces of decorations will cause a hazard either to the cart, the driver or to the audience at the parade. Make sure to go the maximum speed of 15-20 miles per hour and to take tight turns to ensure that your float will stay together at those speeds and that any pieces won’t get caught if you have to make such sharp turns.

Making a float can be an exciting process. A golf cart makes for such a huge canvas that you really can’t go wrong in the way you decorate. Just make sure to have fun with your decorations and let the creativity wander.