Earl Hargrove Jr., owner of Landham, Maryland-based Hargrove, Inc.—a firm that has specialized in decorating big events such as parades, trade shows and conventions since 1949—started the museum in July 2000. Over the years, Hargrove has produced floats for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, the Miss America Parade, the Rose Parade, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade and even presidential inaugurations. One of the floats at the museum is a 60-foot-long American flag float, containing half a million staples, that Hargrove, Inc. made for Ronald Reagan’s inaugural parade in 1980.
One of the museum’s tallest floats—the Santa María float—is also one of its newest. It was built for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, and at 28 feet tall it practically reaches the rafters. The museum also features a train float made for the 1994 Tournament of Roses Parade, which was used again in President Clinton’s 1996 inaugural parade. The original float was 400 feet long, but only 100 feet of it can be seen at the American Celebration on Parade. It is so sturdy, says Wine, that visitors can even board the float. But will they know how to wave to the crowd with that proper parade technique?
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