When families brought their children to the Aurora Farmers Fair Parade Saturday, one parade float was more shocking than some attendees might have expected — and not just figuratively.
A float depicting Hillary Clinton in an electric chair quickly invited public outcry after it rolled down Second Street with more than a hundred other bands and floats in the Indiana city, about 35 miles west of Cincinnati.
But the creator of the float, Frank Linkmeyer, told WCPO that — despite the outrage — the float was “all in fun.”
A picture shared by FOX19 showed the float, decked out in Trump-Pence campaign signs, with two people depicting Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sitting side by side. “Trump,” wearing his red Make America Great Again hat, is shown looking toward “Clinton,” who is sitting strapped in an electric chair.
Also on the float: a Grim Reaper and an Easter Island head, painted black with a sign labeled “OBAMA.”
Linkmeyer said he and his brother had participated in the parade for years. A self-identified Democrat, he added that they "could have had Donald Trump in the electric chair. It was a tossup.”
But some of his local neighbors found it “disgusting.”
“Who thinks this is appropriate for a fair parade where CHILDREN, SOME OF THEM MINORITIES AND GIRLS, are marching and playing instruments and watching?” wrote Aurora resident Penny Britton on Facebook Sunday. “This makes me embarrassed to say I live here.”
The city of Aurora distanced itself from Linkmeyer’s display in a statement Monday after the parade, saying it was “disappointed that the actions of a few individuals have taken the focus away from what was otherwise a very successful 108th Aurora Farmers Fair.”
“The City of Aurora refuses to believe that this particular float is in any way a reflection of the Aurora Lions Club or its members,” it added.
The Aurora Lions Club, which sponsored the parade, also apologized for the float’s inclusion.
"The parade is a public venue which does not reflect the views of the Aurora Lions Club,” it said in a statement. ”We appreciate the high levels of support and esteem given to us by our citizens. We will continue to do our best to live up to their standards. We hope the political circus of this year’s election stays with the national media.”
But Linkmeyer was only somewhat repentant.
“Laughter is the best medicine in life and this country needs more laughter — and the people that are offended by it, I’m sorry,” Linkmeyer told WCPO. “Don’t come to the parade next time.”
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