Kinetic Sculpture Race

Saturday was one of those days when everything was happening. In addition to that big race down in Louisville, there was the annual Kinetic Sculpture Race at the American Visionary Arts Museum. I wandered over to meet Hue and her husband and catch up with some other friends. Before the race even begins, there is the mandatory brake check where the sculptures head down a hill and must brake at the bottom.

More than 40 sculptures were entered this year, a record. Some were very elaborate and some were simple. After playing the National Anthem on our kazoos, and being amazed at the marching band/drum line (best line of the entire day: I am too beautiful to sweat like this!), we watched the start. Later on, I went to Rallo's (where the elite meet to eat) to meet up with some other friends. I had forgotten that the first leg of the race would go right by Rallo's, so we sat outside to watch. Even after less than a mile, some racers had already broken down and dropped out.

Each sculpture is required to have a "barnacle" which is a person who rides along and can't be part of the powering of the vehicle, and a sock puppet. The sculptures ride along a 13-mile long course, which has a mud pit and a section where they go into the harbour and try to complete a small lap. The imagination and creativity of the teams are the most fun part of the race, and the winner isn't the first to finish, rather the one who comes in as the middle of the pack.

After we finished watching the Derby (and Curlin came in a respectable third!) we watched some of the Kinetic Racers making the trek home...thinking about next year.