Middleburg sophomore Ashley Shelley compares building a Homecoming float to picking out the perfect prom dress.

“You want to look good,” the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority member said. “But you want everyone to be surprised when they see you.”

Several Western organizations are hard at work designing and building their floats for this year’s Homecoming parade with the theme, “Movin’ On Up.”

Float building has become a lasting tradition during Homecoming week – and so has keeping the float secret until it’s revealed at the parade.

Competition between organizations is fierce to see who will have the best float.

Fraternities and sororities are paired up to work on the floats together. This year, AOPi is working with Sigma Chi fraternity.

Brad Nelsen, a junior from Fox River Grove, Ill., is the rush chairman for Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He is also a member of the Executive Council and has been participating in Homecoming festivities for the past three years.

The month before Homecoming week is filled with extensive planning, he said. The Greeks find out who their partners will be and start designing their floats and buying the materials.

This year, the Lambda Chis are paired with Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Participating fraternities and sororities are not allowed to begin working on their floats until noon on the Sunday of Homecoming week.

“It’s a pride thing,” Nelsen said of the secrecy of the float-building. “You’re trying to win so badly and you put so much time and effort into it. You don’t want anyone else to take advantage of your hard work.”

Hebron senior Cassie Neace is the president of AOPi. She said that the sorority builds its float in a warehouse far away from campus in order to protect it from vandals and maintain secrecy.

“It’s hardcore,” she said. “People will mess (your float) up.”

Neace and AOPi vice president Molly Bray, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, said that the sororities use a process called “pomping” to decorate the floats.

“Pomping” involves crushing up pieces of colored tissue paper and attaching it to chicken wire to decorate the floats.

“It’s a really big bonding time,” Neace said. “We’re doing such a repetitive motion, but it’s relaxing.”

Neace and Bray said that the theme of the float is normally decided by a graphic design major, and it must go along with the theme of Homecoming.

Bray said while the women are more involved with decorating and planning the float, men take over the heavy labor and transporting the materials.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” she said.

Owensboro sophomore Stephanie Rogier is a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. Sigma Kappa is working with Kappa Sigma fraternity and Sigma Nu fraternity.

She said her favorite part of building the float is getting to know everyone.

“I really like the social aspect,” Rogier said. “We all talk to each other and joke around, and we have music playing.”

But she said the float building is serious business.

“We get work done,” Rogier said. “It’s a group effort.”

Reach Emily Ulber at diversions@chherald.com.