The Lake Bluff Lawn Mower Precision Drill Team, known for its outrageous and borderline offensive parade performances, made headlines at this year’s Fourth of July parade when some parade-goers said they weren’t laughing.
The group of masked men, called the “mowers,” is known for mocking news headliners as part of a parade tradition started more than 30 years ago. Past appearances included costumes mocking Michael Jackson, Donald Sterling and Bill Clinton.
More than a dozen “mowers” participated in this year’s event, all of them dressed as jockeys as part of the “Mowers Bet on American Phreedom,” playing off Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’s name.
The group featured men dressed as Dennis Hastert, Grateful Dead fans and one dressed as Uncle Sam with a horse named “American Phreedom,” but some of the costumes stirred controversy.
One man was dressed in what appeared to be Middle Eastern clothing carrying an ISIS sign. Another had a black mask and carried a whip and handcuffs with a sign that read “50 Shades of Neigh.” One man was dressed as Caitlyn Jenner.
The horses raced during the parade, and American Phreedom won each time.
Lake Bluff Village Administrator Drew Irvin said he received a phone call complaint from someone offended by the drill team.
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Police also received a complaint at the parade after someone reported a sign in the group that read “Polo is for pus****.” Irvin said the sign was allowed to remain in the parade because it was not “unlawful.”
Some paradegoers also took to the group’s Facebook page to complain.
“Your thing today was ill conceived and offensive,” one person wrote.
Lake Bluff Fourth of July Parade Committee President Debbie Dintruff said she received a couple of complaints on the matter.
Dintruff said the parade is in its 105th year and the mowers have been participants for decades, noting their mission is to entertain and be funny.
Dintruff said she asks entrants to use their own judgment and make sure everything is in good taste, but otherwise does not regulate participants. She noted there was one sign she asked them to pull this year because it “crossed the line.”
The mowers acknowledge they often try to "push the envelope and not cross the line."
"It's nothing you're not going to see on Saturday Night Live, it's nothing you're not going to see on a recap of daily news," said "mower" Christian Erzinger. "Our crowd over the years have expected us to do something slightly outrageous and not too offensive."
