KATHY SEALE
News staff writer

You can try, but you may not be able to stop yourself from boogieing Thursday when Alabama's lone entry in the Tournament of Roses 2004 Rose Parade comes into view.

Birmingham's Bayer Advanced, a lawn and garden division of those aspirin folks, has put together the 55-foot Rock Garden for this year's parade, themed "Music, Music, Music." Giant animated flowers - up to 22 feet each - include a rose drummer, a daffodil on sax and zinnia bass guitarists gyrating to the beat of "Rock This Town" by the Stray Cats.

"Most of the floats use a slower tempo," says Mark Schneid, spokesman for Bayer Advanced. "It's going to get people stirred up." [...]

The Rock Garden, which will be the 68th unit in line and the 32nd float in the 5½-mile parade, features 126 varieties of flowers and plants, more than any float in the parade.

"It becomes a challenge," Schneid says. "How do you top it?"

The Bayer Advanced float won the Fantasy Trophy in 2001 for the most spectacular entry, the Queen's Trophy in 2002 for the best use of roses and the Animation Trophy in 2003 for the most animated float in the parade. [...]