Final touches being added to entries in Henderson’s Electric Light Parade

Howard Bieber, a Las Vegas welder, and Walter Rapp utilized a dune buggy arsenic the basal to make this Luke Skywalker-inspired landspeeder float, which volition beryllium portion of the Electric Light Parade connected Friday successful downtown Henderson and Saturday astatine Boulder City’s Lights of December Parade. Photo by Courtesy of Walter Rapp

Howard Bieber has built parade floats based connected Fred Flintstone’s Flintmobile and the Kia hamster car, and present adjacent a interval that appears to really float.

One of his mainstay creations is based connected Luke Skywalker’s anti-gravity landspeeder from the “Star Wars” movie franchise.

“It’s a assemblage pleaser,” Bieber said. “You cognize you’ve got thing iconic erstwhile you’re going down the parade and radical … propulsion their cameras up to instrumentality pictures. So that’s the reward for us.”

Bieber, a Las Vegas welder, and Walter Rapp utilized a dune buggy arsenic the basal to make the landspeeder float. Bieber said helium spent thousands of dollars and six weekends connected the project.

The interval volition rotation down Henderson’s Water Street for the city’s Electric Light Parade starting astatine 6:30 p.m. Friday. The parade, which is portion of the city’s WinterFest celebration, volition diagnostic much than 40 floats, cheer squads, subject defender groups and dozens of marching bands, said Charlene Ham, a peculiar events coordinator with the city. The event’s assemblage gets bigger each year, she said.

There is existent contention arsenic well. The floats are judged, with the metropolis awarding $1,500 for archetypal place, $1,000 for 2nd and $500 for third.

Compared to Bieber, Sandy Simpson, selling coordinator for the instrumentality steadfast of Jeffrey Burr, is simply a parade newbie.

The bureau is entering a interval inspired by 1989’s “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” — a rendition of the movie’s iconic wood-paneled presumption wagon.

Simpson didn’t person to spell acold to find the car. Burr’s lad already had it, and aft a “Christmas Vacation” superfan successful the bureau recovered out, the wheels were acceptable successful motion.

“We’re a tight-knit group. I mean, I’ve been with the steadfast for 20 years and I’m (on) the little (end of) the totem pole, if that says anything,” she said. “When 1 idiosyncratic gets a brainsick thought similar this, we each leap connected board.”

The car, on with a existent histrion connected its extortion and a trailer pursuing it, volition person battery-operated lights wrapped astir “everything you tin perchance imagine,” Simpson said.

As the idiosyncratic ordering the lights, she said she “couldn’t adjacent begin” to accidental however galore person been delivered.

“We are inactive waiting for our banner, which is expected to travel successful (today),” she said. “Everything’s been down to the past minute. We support ordering much lights, much lights, much lights. It’s each astir the lights!”

Bieber, meanwhile, is having a comparatively calm week. He’s antecedently taken the landspeeder to different parades and done peculiar events with organizations similar Make-a-Wish to springiness young “Star Wars” fans the thrill of a lifetime. Moments similar those are priceless, helium said.

For this year’s Henderson Electric Light Parade, determination volition besides beryllium “Star Wars” speeder bikes accompanying the main float. Bieber and his sci-fi creations volition besides beryllium featured successful Boulder City’s Santa’s Electric Night Parade starting astatine 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

“I’ve done the Henderson parade astir apt astir 5 oregon six years successful a enactment now, and … it’s packed with people,” Bieber said. “Bring your family, drawback a blanket, drawback a tract seat and get retired determination a mates hours aboriginal truthful you tin get a front-row seat.”

[email protected] / 702-990-8923 / @Kyle_Chouinard