The city of Roseville unveiled the design today for the float that will represent the city in the 2009 Rose Parade in Pasadena Jan. 1, kicking off a yearlong celebration of the city’s centennial.

Accompanied by representatives of the Tournament of Roses, Mayor Jim Gray presented the design to an audience of approximately 400 business, government and community leaders, following his “State of the City” address today in Downtown Roseville’s Magic Circle Theater.

“We wanted a float that captured the essence of Roseville,” Gray said.

With the 2009 Rose Parade theme of “That’s Entertainment” as inspiration, the city float design incorporates suggestions from the community in order to showcase Roseville’s history. The float’s title is “Entertaining dreams for a century” and the main feature of the 55-foot long float is a depiction of a 1909 engine built for the Sacramento-to-Roseville run. Two vintage-style Pullman passenger cars will hold float “passengers.” Also on the float will be a representation of the Tree of Life petroglyph carved by the Nisenan Indians more than 10,000 years ago and located in Maidu Park; 25-foot depictions of oak trees and a creek representing the seven creeks that flow through Roseville; representations of wildlife including salmon, deer, and hawks that are indigenous to Roseville; and red roses, poppies and lupin to represent Roseville’s floral beauty.

For the complete story and more float details watch for the Saturday edition of The Press-Tribune.

Volunteers interested in helping to decorate the float in Pasadena should call the city at 746-1350.