Lawn Rangers ready for inauguration stage

ARCOLA, Ill., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- World Famous Lawn Rangers members in Illinois say they are prepared to take part in the Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington.

Lawn Rangers member Larry Harper of Urbana, Ill., said he has decorated his riding lawn mower with a three-foot beaver he is sure will thrill those attending next week's presidential ceremony, the Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette said Thursday.

"It's a real crowd pleaser; this beauty amazes and scares the young children and amuses the adults," Harper said. "My son, Louie, will be marching with a mower decorated with an armadillo with a muskrat riding on top of it."

Terry Overman of Gibson City, Ill., said his Lawn Rangers vehicle will bear a 5-foot-tall papier-mache replica of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln during next Tuesday's event.

"I hope it stays together long enough to reach the end of the parade route," Overman said.

Ranger Doug Dunagan of Arcola, Ill., told the News-Gazette it takes two personal attributes to fit into the Lawn Rangers.

"You have to have a weak mind and a good sense of humor to be in this group," he joked.