This week, NCC meets with Glorious Goddess Jen-O to talk about Kinetics. The Kinetic Grand Championship has been a Humboldt County staple since its inception in 1969 When founder Hobart Brown challenged a friend to a race down Ferndale's main street in his newly built 5-wheeled pentacycle.
Word of the event got out, and the inaugural race had nearly a dozen entries. The race was so popular among local artisans that a yearly event was born, drawing people from around the country to Humboldt County for what is now considered the triathlon of the art world, with a 3-day event crossing roads, beaches, rivers, sand dunes, and Humboldt Bay itself.
One of the people in the crowd of the first race was a young Goddess Jen-O, who was instantly captivated by the insanity that surrounded her and she knew that she wanted to become a part of the spectacle. She is now one of the main organizers, and she considers all who are a part of Kinetics her family. One of Hobart Brown's many lasting legacies with Kinetics is that he wanted to create an event that would make children unafraid of growing up; showing that anyone of any age can have fun. The Kinetic Grand Championship is the culmination of thousands of hours of work put in by dozens of people and they could always use more volunteers to ensure that the event is as Glorious as possible.
The Rutabaga ball is another integral part of Kinetics and a new Rutabaga Queen shall be crowned on May 21st at the Big Top Tent in Arcata’s Creamery District. Find more info at kineticgrandchampionship.com/rutabaga-ball
The Kinetic Grand Championship takes place over Memorial Day weekend. The Kinetic universe always needs more glorious volunteers and anyone interested can learn more about the event, its history, and sign up at kineticgrandchampionship.com
For those who can't make it to the race, the Kinetic Grand Championship will also be broadcasted in its entirety on our sister station KRFH, Radio Free Humboldt. Visit krfh.net for more info.
Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more episodes of North Coast Conversations as we explore more of what the North Coast has to offer.