Blade runners: Lawn mower races return to Thompson Falls
The race director waves the green flag to start a race at the Wild Coyote Saloon Days lawn mower racing event Saturday afternoon. (Chuck Bandel, VP-MI)
A section of the crowd of fans lining Highway 471 outside the Wild Coyote Saloon during the bar's annual Wild Coyote Days this past Saturday. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
A lawn mower racer riding his John Deere machine holds on during a fast turn around one of the track's tight corners.
A contestant in the Wild Coyote Saloon Days riding lawn mower race roars around the quarter-mile dirt track across from the saloon this past Saturday. (Chuck Bandel/VP-MI)
The only particles in the air Saturday were clouds of dust flying off the tires of the crowd-pleasing riding lawn mowers.
A total of 14 racers showed up at the annual Wild Coyote Saloon Days celebration at the iconic bar in the woods by the same name. The annual event’s signature attraction wound up with 13 active lawn mower racers, one machine would not start, but the reaction from the hundreds of folks who showed up and lined the Thompson Pass, aka Montana Highway, 471 got what they came for.
“This is our second year in a row coming here”, said Coeur d’Alene resident James Campbell. “We had such a good time last year we marked it on our calendar. The kids love to watch the lawn mowers and so do I”.
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