Adults having fun so children desire to grow older
Kinetic Sculpture Races are organized contests of human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art which follow a series of rules and traditions evolved since 1969.
In honor of the 40th year of Kinetic Racing, a reprise of the original race will be held, one block, slightly downhill along Ferndale's historic Main Street on Mother's Day Afternoon, Sunday, May 11, 2008. Delighfully improbable contraptions of all kinds are eligible to compete for wacky prizes in a series of categories.
The 2008 Rutabaga Ball will be Friday May 17, 2008. The Rutabaga Queens and Board of Kinetic Universe, Inc. encourage all volunteers to come out to crown our new queen at the Ball. Proper libations will be hosted throughout the evening and raffles and other prizes distributed.
The Kinetic Grand Championship is also called the "Triathlon of the Art World" because art and engineering as well as physical endurance are required for the three day cross-country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills.
The Great and Wonderfully Marvelous 40th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship will begin at noon May 24, 2008 with the whistle on Arcata Plaza, continues through Manila and Samoa, Eureka, and finally ends three days and forty two miles later, on Memorial Day, Monday May 26, 2008 in Ferndale California.
At the start, Kinetinauts lap Arcata plaza three times and spin out of town on Mad River Bottoms roads to Manila, where they cross the dunes and go down the strand to Dead Man's Drop a steep and challenging sand hill where out of control vegetation threatens to eat machines and the man eating mosquitoes happily feast on the remainder.
Survivors cross the bridge to Eureka where a huge welcoming committee cheers them on at the end of day one.
Day two features the Bay Crossing where vehicles and kinetinauts test their mettle against wave, tide and man eating clams, followed by a romp to Table Bluff Hill and a well earned quiet and peaceful night's rest at a campground along the Eel River.
Day three, they cross the Eel River, amuse the cows on Ferndale bottoms roads and enter Main Street Ferndale covered in mud, well earned sense of accomplishment and a giant smile.
Every year thousands of people flock to Ferndale for the annual finish line at Main and Brown Streets. A festive atmosphere covers all of Humboldt for all three days and hundreds of thousands of dollars are generated for all segments of the local economy.
The Awards Ceremony is held and many wild and wonderful prizes are given to the tired, clam bitten, mosquito sucked, bone weary and glory-covered kinetinauts. Later the organizing committee and their most loyal volunteers stay and clean up, get a good night's rest and begin planning 2009!
