Madeline McPhee, of Foster, rides a butterfly bike, as she takes part in Saturday’s Ancients and Horribles Parade in Glocester.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

GLOCESTER –– There are no horses in this parade. The high school marching bands have been replaced by the funky beats of a clown band from Fall River. And the lines in the middle of the street are not red, white or blue.

Welcome to the irreverent and politically incorrect Ancients and Horribles Parade, the Independence Day tradition tucked in Rhode Island’s northwest corner where people have come to expect the unexpected.

On this Saturday afternoon, the 83rd birthday of this peculiar display of patriotism, thousands crowded to the sidewalks of Chepachet Village to watch participants take shots at President Obama and lampoon the General Assembly’s recent move to allow distribution of medical marijuana. There were also plenty of pirates.

“It’s not at all serious,” says Sheila Williams, of Burrillville, whose husband marches in the parade dressed as the “American Man” (imagine Uncle Sam with sequins, a cape, and a large hand puppet). “Yeah, the politicians are here, the military is here, but it’s really just fun.”

The parade’s name originally parodied the Ancient and Honorable, according to Connie Leathers, parade committee chairwoman.

The Ancient and Honorable was an artillery company chartered in 1638 in Massachusetts. The parade has since become an event to express opinions that often poke fun at local and national politics.

But the beginning of Saturday’s show almost had the makings of its formal Bristol counterpart 40 miles away.

A group of waving soldiers was flanked by three members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation –– Senators Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Rep. James Langevin. Attorney General Patrick Lynch and state Rep. Edwin Pacheco tagged along.

But it didn’t take long for things to get interesting.

The first float carried a massive flesh-eating beast, its size, green skin and red eyes truly frightening. The adjacent “Rolling Bones” band belted out rock tunes surrounded by skeletons and other things gory.

The official parade committee would later give its highest honor –– Best in Parade –– to the grotesque display, sponsored by the Warwick-based Monster Mini Golf.

A few minutes later, a green Volkswagen bus approached, towing a small garden. “Medical Marijuana for All,” read the sign above. Hippies and other dreadlocked pedestrians followed, puffing funny-looking cigarettes. Another sign read, “Chepachet Compassion Center.”

(The state legislature recently legalized the sale of medical marijuana by licensed facilities known as “compassion centers.”)

And the political comedy did not end there.

A man in a President Obama costume pushed a wheelbarrow containing a money tree, as others distributed “Obama Bucks” to the crowd. Not far behind, a handful of children sat in the “USS Bailout,” using plastic pails to remove water from the small vessel.

“Our children will keep America afloat,” read the sign above them.

The float had registered earlier in the morning and was among the only surprises of the day, according to Leathers.

She said there were no injuries or unpleasant incidents reported during before or after the parade, which lasted about an hour.

“The goal is for people to have fun and not get hurt,” she said. “I think we succeeded.”

speoples@projo.com