Friday, December 12, 2008 10:14 PM CST
OUR VIEW: D.C. in for a treat with unique Lawn Rangers
By the JG/T-C
editorial@jg-tc.com
The nation’s capital appears to be ready for President-elect Barack Obama and his family to move in.
We wonder, however, if Washington, D.C. knows what it’s in for when Amazing Arcola’s Lawn Rangers bring their unique form of entertainment to town.
The lawn rangers have been invited to participate in Obama’s inauguration parade on Jan. 20. The precision lawn mower drill team is used to performing on big stages, though none quite like this one.
The masked rangers are a collection of fun-loving individuals from various backgrounds, including doctors, lawyers, executives, laborers, teachers and even journalists. They do intricate maneuvers pushing lawn mowers, twirling brooms and entertaining audiences with various photo opportunities, including placement of a commode on top of a lawn mower that may be referred to as the best seat in the house.
The group’s origins go back many years with annual appearances in the Broom Corn Festival parade in Arcola. From there came invitations to perform at major bowl game parades, and major regional events like the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago, where they encountered Obama a few years ago when he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
We don’t know the political preferences of the members, though if our memory is correct the rangers once endorsed one of its members, humor columnist Dave Barry, for president. Barry is scheduled to appear with the rangers in Washington, and no doubt will provide a unique perspective on the inaugural events.
When it comes to calling something unique, however, we suspect the rangers will stand out among parade entries. We haven’t gone through the whole list of performers, but understand the usual entries such as military bands, ROTC groups, and performers like the Jesse White tumblers are included.
The rangers are not the typical entry for a presidential inaugural.
But they are fun. They are entertaining. They will make people smile. And they will give parade-goers something to talk about, probably unlike any other entry.
It’s cool to see an unorthodox group like the rangers be included in the formalities of the presidential inauguration. We think the capital city will enjoy them as much as the rangers enjoy the capital.
— JG/T-C Editorial Board
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medic57 wrote on Dec 13, 2008 7:56 PM:
I remember once, I went to a Super Sectional Basketball game at E.I.U., as I was paying admission, the girl ask me which team I was rooting for, my reply, depends on where I'm sitting.
It's all about fun. "