FERNDALE,
CALIFORNIA—
The 27th
annual World Championship Great Arcata to Ferndale Cross-Country Kinetic
Sculpture Race, which we've been following for the last two days, came
to its dramatic climax on Monday. Contestants faced tidal surges as they
crossed the Seven-Mile Slough near Loleta, California, and then had to
brave the Eel River. The next hurdle was the "Slimy Slope,"
a fifty-foot incline where volunteers had been working since dawn to create
enough mud and ooze to provide a worthy challenge.
The "Slimy
Slope" was a "legal push" area, which meant that sculptures
could be dragged or pushed up the incline without being disqualified.
Even so, a number of pilots pedaled their sculptures through the quagmire,
receiving cheers from the assembled crowd.
Exhausted
but triumphant, the racers crossed the finish line in the town square
of Ferndale, where spectators lined the streets, Calistoga water flowed,
and massage therapists had their tables set up on the sidewalks.
At the Awards
Banquet, there were prizes for every racer in a dazzling array of categories.
Founder Hobart Brown gave the "Neener Neener Award" to the Calistoga
Dragon, honoring the designer's "Don Quixote" spirit, and the
coveted "Mediocre Award" went to the "Psychedelic Relic."
Official Race Emcee Bill Neill gives this prize every year to the sculpture
that's "mediocre in every way, speed, design, engineering, everything."
This year's prize was a battleship gray 1960 Studebaker Lark. "I
spend all year looking for the perfect car," said Bill as he handed
the pink slip to the winners.
The 1996
Grand Champion, which earned the most points in the categories of art,
engineering, speed, and popularity among the other racers, was "Watermelon
World." A number of sculptures received "Ace" awards, which
recognize their achievement of navigating the entire course without getting
pushed or breaking any race rules.
The Kinetic
Sculpture Race is far more than its name alone reveals. If you ever have
the chance to be on the north coast of California the last weekend in
May, what you'll see is a remarkable blend of art, engineering, stamina,
enthusiasm and good humor. Entirely organized and staffed by volunteers,
the Kinetic Sculpture Race celebrates fun. RoadTrip America salutes its
founder Hobart Brown, this year's director Sydney Woodsen, and all the
volunteers and participants who make it happen "FOR THE GLORY!"
Finish
in Ferndale
