The Cal Poly Universities Rose Float student team is hard at work as it prepares the only student-built float in the Rose Parade to be showcased in the nationally televised event on New Year's day.

The Rose Float is one of the most storied traditions at Cal Poly Pomona, dating back to 1949 when the first float was built. The 2022 float, "Stargrazers," is a play on the classic nursery rhyme, "Hey diddle, diddle," only with some polytechnic touches on this version of a cow jumping over the moon.

Once winter break begins, it is a sprint to the Jan. 1 finish line in Pasadena with several crucial stages of float construction along the way. The next major steps in the process involve preparations for move-out on Dec. 19, when students will embark from Pomona at approximately 10 p.m. for the five- or six-hour journey to Pasadena, traveling between 5 and 10 mph on side streets with the assistance of a tow truck.

Students are fast-preparing the float for the move, completing many construction elements of the 55-foot long float before it is decorated in Pasadena in the days leading up to the parade.