Model D TV: Tom Nardone and the Detroit Mower Gang
Literally a foot-to-the-pedal, dirt-inside-the-fingernails organization that helps keep playgrounds and other green spaces cut in Detroit, the Mower Gang is garnering national attention for its good work. DETROIT LIVES! produced the video.
Tom Nardone, founder of the Detroit Mower Gang, doesn’t really see himself as an innovator. He’s just a guy who saw a need and a way to address it. While his “gang” has attracted the attention of visiting celebrities like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern, what gives him the most satisfaction is seeing kids playing on a swingset he just mowed around.
Video by DETROIT LIVES!
Related Articles
Detroit’s seniors are facing a winter crisis most people never see
Michigan’s Forgotten Harvest reports 291,000 seniors 60 and older are affected by food insecurity. Nearly half of them are in the Metro Detroit area. Focus Hope provides food boxes for seniors across a nine-county area including Wayne.
Tracking history through stories
Long-time residents of Woodbridge tell stories of their diverse Detroit neighborhood through an oral history project meant to capture the essence of life in the area in decades past.
Your favorite Model D stories from 2025, according to Google
In 2026, Model D readers liked stories of Detroit as it was, and they also were quick to check out the features about those doing something new in town.
