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Hang your heads, for the Kinetic Grand Championship Race as we know it will not take place this year with an Arcata Plaza kickoff and all its attending fanfare. Instead, as Queen Professor President Kati Texas stated in a press release, a three-day Kinetic Sculpture in Place event will take place online, with teams completing challenges on video with their human-powered art mobiles from May 23-25.
"Artists, engineers, athletes, and Glory hogs of all ages will compete in the traditional categories of Art, Speed, Engineering, and Pageantry plus some online exclusive awards just for this year (we all hope.)," the release reads. Whether shelter-in-place orders would mean teams would have to be restricted to household members is yet to be seen. The Memorial Day weekend will also include a Kinetic Kids Challenge, a Remote-abaga Ball Live and viewing documentary and other footage from the Kinetic Museum Eureka. Enjoy Mark McKenna's slideshow of kinetic madness from last year and let it buoy you like a giant floating dragon/horse/crab thing full of exhausted, sunburned people pedaling and paddling as fast as they can.

Read the full press release below:

There Won't NOT Be a Kinetic Something

Will there be a Kinetic Grand Championship this year? Will big crowds gather in all the usual Glory spots to cheer on their favorite teams in just a few short weeks? No. ... But, it wouldn't be the beginning of summer in Humboldt without the insanity which keeps us sane, so there can't NOT be a Kinetic something.


Memorial Day Weekend Kinetic Universe will present the "2020 Kinetic Sculpture in Place", a three day online human powered art event May 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Artists, engineers, athletes, and Glory hogs of all ages will compete in the traditional categories of Art, Speed, Engineering, and Pageantry plus some online exclusive awards just for this year (we all hope.) This event will be open to all members of the community who are able to meet the Kinetic challenges, and is not limited to previously registered race teams.


"This year, since no one can go out to see the Kinetic madness, everyone can participate from home instead." says Rutabaga Queen, and Kinetic Universe board president Kati Texas.


In addition to the main Kinetic competition, the three day event will include a Kinetic Kids Challenge, the Remote-abaga Ball Live, a "Glory Road" Kinetic Documentary marathon, and a retrospective of Kinetic history from the Kinetic Museum Eureka's film archives.


Rules and entry forms will be available mid April, "... as soon as we are done making them up," says Queen Texas. "There will be different challenges for the big kids (grown-ups), and a littler kids category, so the whole family can get involved."


The Remote-abaga Ball Live promises to be exciting as Queen hopefuls perform their Q&A, Water Crossing, and "Talent" via video call. "We can't imagine a life without Kinetic madness," continues Texas. "We're doing what we can to keep the Glory gears turning, and hopefully bring some of that joy directly to the fans."


Kineticgrandchampionship.com