Gail Youngbluth displays a possible theme for next year’s Colville Community Float.

Colville community float looking for a few good volunteers

BY SOPHIA ALDOUS
S-E Staff Reporter

    The Colville Chamber of Commerce got a visit last week from Gail Youngbluth of the Colville Community Float, which is in more dire straights than people might think.
    “If I could have a banner up here, it would read ‘help’,” Youngbluth said, half-joking.  “For 11 years, Becky and Jim Dubell have gone out of their way to make sure this float looks beautiful and is ready to ride, but we’re at the point where we need people to please step in.”
    The Colville Community Float has carried Miss Colville royalty through regional pa¬rades for the last 30 years under the creative direction of the Dubells, who help deco¬rate the float and make sure it gets to where it’s supposed to be for each parade.
    Youngbluth volunteered a year ago after she and her husband moved to the area because she thought that helping organize and adorn a float would be a good time.
    She’s not afraid to say that she was right.
    “This experience has been extremely rewarding,” said Youngbluth. “Everybody is a joy to work with, and I think if anyone decides to volunteer and help us out, they will end up feeling the same way.”
    The goal eventually is to buy a new trailer, since the axle is bent on the current one, it ‘s extremely heavy, making it hard to maneuver and hard to repair due to its age. But Youngbluth acknowledged that because the float commit¬tee’s current budget, a new trailer purchase will most likely be a few years away.
    “Right now, we’re looking for welders, carpenters, painters, mechanics and anyone who would be willing to donate some of their time,” Young¬bluth explained. “You don’t have to sign up for any spe¬cific time slot, or put in a certain number of hours. Any assistance would be appreci¬ated.”
    Floats are judged in parades on construction, creativity,  the costumes of whoever is riding, and originality. For the 2006-2007 season, the Colville Community Float took first place in Trail B.C.
    Youngbluth, who was a deco¬rator for clubs and mili¬tary balls when her husband was in the armed forces, said that she would like to see the float become a community project, where anyone who wants to be can become in¬volved. She also praised the Miss Colville royalty for help¬ing out with the float’s con¬struction and theme each year.
    “It’s so great that our girls are involved,” Youngbluth said. “A lot of float committees that work on floats for com¬munity royalty don’t let the girls work on them, for some strange reason. But our girls have dealt with it all, and they know what goes into it, which makes them feel proud and appreciative.”
    For more information, or to volunteer, contact Youngbluth at 684-6612, or the Dubells at 684-5147.