Pre-Race Looksie

It's the night before the Kinetic Grand Championship race and we thought it would be a good idea to show you some pictures of some of the work that has gone into preparing for this year's race. Cliff snapped these last week at the Kinetic Lab and at the Rutabaga Ball.


Yes, this is what the lab really looks like.

As the saying goes, now you can know (some of) the machines before you see them at the Plaza tomorrow morning!


This is Duane Flatmo's Dragon. It's skin is made from recycled metal (kitchen implements, etc.) I would not stand in front of the dragon's mouth--Duane has tanks aboard that promise fire-breathing potential. This will be spectacular especially on the water. Duane says they will float not flip this year.

This is Ken's "Hippie-potamus" for which he has been cultivating his Jerry Garcia look. This year the eyes move and blink and there will be sage smoke coming from the nostrils. They will be purifying our community as they roll past. They will be asking us all to join them in a giant community "Ohm" before the start of the race.

Here is Funguy (on the right) with his machine the Octomom. I saw it again today and it looks AMAZING. They have some real challenges taking care of all eight infants that will be in the tentacles of the machine along the course of the race.
This is my very good friend, June Moxon. I was lucky enough to race with June for two years. Her Kinetic Chicken is truly gorgeous in person! She and her hard-working crew have hand pounded all the feathers. June is known for her artistic pupetry, great entourage, and LOTS of bling. She even has rubies on her wheels!
These artist/engineer/atheletes utilize so many diferent tools, skills and imagination to create the people-powered art pieces we enjoy in the Kinetic Sculptre Race.
I hope you can imagine the scale of this sculpture. This picnic basket is part of the Eureka Natural Foods Natty Bears. The basket will feature a 10 foot tall bottle of wine, invading ants and it is rumored that bears will try to steel the picnic basket. The two principal pilots have NEVER even see our race. We hope they'll have fun.
Here I am interviewing Ellen and Bruce from their machine "Pandamonium" They will be racing with their own rules. Their pagoda-like machine will feature large panda heads and they will all be charcters like Ellen's "Pandora" and yes...she will have a box to open if you dare!

From the lab we went on to the Rutabaga Ball. Here you see 8 Rutabaga Queens all organized and choreographed in song and dance by Queen Lotta Paint Buckets (Katie Texas). From left to right there is Pigtunia (celebrating 25 years as a Rutabaga Queen) Mo Betta', Emma the Emchantress, Lotta Paint Buckets, The Imperial Empress (aka Baby R, aka Denise) Monica the Goddess of Entertainment, Queen Foxy Beloxi, and Queen Shaye. They were wonderful!
This is the son of the Glorious Founder, Justin Hobart Brown, and his lovely wife Chelsea. Justin made the crown for this year's Rutabaga Queen and Chelsea made the reversable fabric lining. The chicken on the crown was one of Hobart's own.

The competition for Rutabaga Queen was the fiercest I have ever seen! We had three remarkable contestants--any one of whom would have made an ideal Rutabaga Queen. We had Princess Blue Larue, Princess Major Ediquette and....
Rutabaga Queen 2009 Jermajesty!
The Queen and her Princesses and their entourages will be out on the course thoughout the race weekend giving glory to the racers and entertaining the crowd.

That's all for the night before the race. I hope to see you at the Arcata Plaza tomorrow for the glorious start.

Until then, have a lovely night.

Amy