Dean Lykos of City Line Florist, of New Hyde Park, joined more than 200 florists and industry professionals selected by the Society of American Florists (SAF) to prepare the inaugural floral decorations.

Lykos, who paid his own way to Washington and donated his time and talent to the effort, worked 7500 combined hours in a warehouse in downtown Washington, D. C. The charge was to create elegant, sophisticated works of floral art for nine balls, three dinners and various other receptions.

Lykos commented, "It was both personally and professionally rewarding to be part of such an important historical event. It was wonderful to work side by side with fellow industry members from across the country to create an inviting atmosphere for thousands of inaugural attendees."

Lykos worked with colleagues from 112 cities in 35 states and the District of Columbia who worked around the clock to plan, design and install more than 3500 floral centerpieces, buffet pieces and stage arrangements. Nearly 250,000 roses, tulips, lilies, orchids and other flowers and foliage were used in the decorations.

For the inaugural balls, 7-toot-tall arrangements, packed with hundreds of red roses and other flowers, complemented stage decorations of red, blue and gold. The dinner arrangements featured spectacular combinations of vibrant colors such as hot pink, deep green, orange and burgundy.

Representing a diverse network of florists, wholesalers, growers and suppliers, SAF has been involved with the inaugural flowers for every president since John F. Kennedy. Floral decoration plans and preparations began weeks in advance, organizing the volunteers, procuring floral products, arranging transportation and ensuring the flowers arrived at exactly the right time to show off their full beauty on the nights of the dinners and balls.

Lykos added, "All of our hard work paid off. It was an unforgettable experience."