Kinetic Grand Championship ©Bob Doran
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While most Americans would list road trips and barbecues as Memorial Day traditions, Humboldt County, California has a slightly different way to celebrate the three day weekend.
Last weekend marked the 44th annual Kinetic Grand Championship. The three-day “Triathlon of the Art World” invites teams to build human-powered “kinetic sculptures” and race them over 42 miles of roads, beaches and even in the water of Humboldt Bay.
“We’re a unique little pocket of the world,” said Emma Breacain of Kinetic Universe, which organizes the event. “We have a lot of tolerance for quirks.”
According to Breacain, the quirky festival dates back to 1969 when Hobart Brown, a local artist and gallery owner, added two wheels and other recycled materials to his son’s tricycle and called it a “pentacycle.” When a friend challenged him to a race the tradition was born.
You can find out more about the Kinetic Grand Championship on their website and read more at msnbc.