Residents won’t shell out for float

An eBay auction and a drawing for ride on Rose Parade entry have drawn yawns in Newport Beach.The community’s seemingly lackluster response to the city’s centennial-themed float for the 2006 Rose Parade is becoming a thorny problem for Newport Beach officials.

An eBay auction of a seat on the city’s centennial float closed last week without any bids meeting the city’s minimum, and the city extended the deadline to enter an opportunity drawing for a second float ride because only two people had signed up.

In addition, a trip to Duarte to glue dried materials onto the float was rescheduled from Nov. 12 to Dec. 17 because officials didn’t get enough volunteers.

City recreation director Marie Knight, who is heading up centennial activities, isn’t sure why the centennial hasn’t hit a nerve with residents, but she’s going to keep trying to get the word out.

“Right now there’s just so much else going on in town, and we’re competing with that,” Knight said. “These are just things that we wanted to try, and if there’s an interest, if it sparks an interest, great. If not, we need to get more creative.”

The eBay auction, which closed Thursday, drew 37 bids, with the highest at $7,100. Knight declined to give the city’s minimum amount in case the float seat gets auctioned again, but she said the top bid was “way off.”

Residents also were invited to pay $500 for a spot in the opportunity drawing, but after only two did, the entry deadline was stretched until Nov. 28.

Despite the scant interest in the float so far, the centennial’s overall financial picture isn’t bad. According to the city, donations have reached about $596,000, nearly halfway to the goal of $1.2 million for all centennial activities.

The city has spent $175,000 on hiring a consultant and some other contracts for the centennial, the only cost officials don’t expect to recoup. The council also pledged $114,000 for a commemorative book and $350,000 as a “placeholder” in the budget, but the book is expected to pay for itself through sales, and officials are counting on donations to cover the remainder.

For now, the float is the center of attention. Knight said banners will be raised around town seeking volunteers to decorate the float with flowers between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, and the float-building company, Fiesta Parade Floats, can supply people if the city can’t drum up enough interest.

Once the float has had its day -- the Rose Parade is Jan. 2 -- attention will turn to educational programs, including a play about Newport’s history to be performed in local schools.

All things considered, City Councilman Don Webb thinks the city’s not in bad shape. He’s doing his part to spread enthusiasm by offering a “centennial moment” from Newport’s 100 years of cityhood at City Council meetings.

The city’s actual 100th birthday isn’t until Sept. 1, 2006.

“We still have a lot of people to talk to and get acquainted with the idea, and we have another nine months to do it,” Webb said.20051115ino1f8knDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Councilman Don Webb hopes city’s effort to generate enthusiasm for its Rose Parade float will soon get a bit more wind in its sails.