For the 2010 parade, Phoenix has built 18 award-eligible floats, including a Clydesdale-drawn snowscape from which Olympians Michelle Kwan and Bonnie Blair will wave. One company, Fiesta, will present 11 designs, including a show-stopping, 114-foot float featuring live snowboarding bulldogs.

Another company, Festival Artists Worldwide, has two floats up for judging. One of them consists of 65 dancers in sequined samba costumes.

Then there’s Charisma, with just one entry. It’s a quiet tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen — no animation, no celebrities, no performers.