Behind the Krewe of Yazoo’s unique brigade of lawnmowers

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For the first 10 years after David Randall transformed his lawn mower into a parade piece for the Spanish Town parade, he still used it to mow his own lawn. Throughout the year, his neighbors could glimpse a bit of Mardi Gras on weekends when Randall diligently pushed his painted, glittery, tricked-out mower around the yard.

It’s been years since his faithful mower has trimmed any grass, but he still pushes it every year, just as he first did in 1983 as a founding member of the Krewe of Yazoo. Randall, inspired by a parade he saw in California and the dune buggies of Tennessee’s Shriner Parade, imagined his own fantastical troupe of lawn care-wielding dancers.

They’re famous now for their flashy mowers and coordinated choreography, and Randall has been the man blowing the whistle to get his mower-pushers in formation since their first march in Spanish Town.

“The mere sight of it is comical and goofy,” Randall says of the mowers’ brigade. “People look forward to seeing us every year. … And people who join Krewe of Yazoo see it as an antidote to life’s seriousness.”

The Krewe made the move last year from the daytime Spanish Town parade to the evening Southdowns Parade and adjusted their decorations accordingly, with tube lights now lining Randall’s mower and glowing LED bulbs mounted underneath to stand out during the night parade.

No matter where they march, though, you can’t miss them.

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THE LIFE OF A MOWER

While the signature red and yellow look of Randall’s mower has remained mostly intact, each year he and his krewe tweak their machines depending on the parade theme.

2010: Vini Vidi Weedi

In a nod to the Roman numerals in Spanish Town’s 30th anniversary “XXXpress It” theme, the krewe went full gladiator and emblazoned a memorable slogan on their banner: “I came, I saw, I landscaped.”

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2013: Lawn of the Dead

The krewe transformed into an undead army for this parade, with choreography set to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and zombie-fied mower decorations.

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2014: Raking Bad

Krewe of Yazoo paid homage to AMC’s Breaking Bad with blue crystal flamingos, hazmat suits and choreography set to “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News and “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott.

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2015: C’est L’amower

For Spanish Town’s Valentine’s Day theme, Yazoo went with a classic cartoon romantic: Pepé Le Pew. Pictured is Randall with his trusty mower leading choreography to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love.”

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This article was originally published in the February 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.