Howard Bieber has built parade floats based on Fred Flintstone's Flintmobile and the Kia hamster car, and now even a float that appears to actually float.
One of his latest creations is based on Luke Skywalker's anti-gravity landspeeder from the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
"It's a crowd pleaser," Bieber said. "You know you've got something iconic when you're going down the parade and people ... pull their cameras up to take pictures. So that's the reward for us."
Bieber, a Las Vegas welder, and Walter Rapp used a dune buggy as the base to create the landspeeder float. Bieber said he spent thousands of dollars and six weekends on the project.
The float will roll down Henderson's Water Street for the city's Electric Light Parade starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The parade, which is part of the city's WinterFest celebration, will feature more than 40 floats, cheer squads, military guard groups and dozens of marching bands, said Charlene Ham, a special events coordinator with the city. The event's crowd gets bigger every year, she said.
There is real competition as well. The floats are judged, with the city awarding $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.
Compared to Bieber, Sandy Simpson, marketing coordinator for the law firm of Jeffrey Burr, is a parade newbie.
The office is entering a float inspired by 1989's "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" -- a rendition of the movie's iconic wood-paneled station wagon.
Simpson didn't have to go far to find the car. Burr's son already had it, and after a "Christmas Vacation" superfan in the office found out, the wheels were set in motion.
"We're a tight-knit group. I mean, I've been with the firm for 20 years and I'm (on) the lower (end of) the totem pole, if that says anything," she said. "When one person gets a crazy idea like this, we all jump on board."
The car, along with a real tree on its roof and a trailer following it, will have battery-operated lights wrapped around "everything you can possibly imagine," Simpson said.
As the person ordering the lights, she said she "couldn't even begin" to say how many have been delivered.
"We are still waiting for our banner, which is supposed to come in (today)," she said. "Everything's been down to the last minute. We keep ordering more lights, more lights, more lights. It's all about the lights!"
Bieber, meanwhile, is having a comparatively calm week. He's previously taken the landspeeder to other parades and done special events with organizations like Make-a-Wish to give young "Star Wars" fans the thrill of a lifetime. Moments like those are priceless, he said.
For this year's Henderson Electric Light Parade, there will also be "Star Wars" speeder bikes accompanying the main float. Bieber and his sci-fi creations will also be featured in Boulder City's Santa's Electric Night Parade starting at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
"I've done the Henderson parade probably about five or six years in a row now, and ... it's packed with people," Bieber said. "Bring your family, grab a blanket, grab a lawn chair and get out there a couple hours early so you can get a front-row seat."