For most of the year, Arcata is a peaceful, artsy, coastal town 100 miles south of the Oregon border in northwestern California. It’s largely full of hippies, and for the majority of the year they are dormant. Then one weekend they all go a little bit crazy. The Arcata Kinetic Sculpture Race—officially known as the Kinetic Grand Championship—is an annual, human-powered “triathlon of the art world,” according to organizers. Held over Memorial Day weekend, the race tasks competitors with designing, building, and piloting bizarre, all-terrain, amphibious vehicles across 50 miles of roads, sand dunes, and waterways. That’s right, they have to be amphibious. Maybe they thought making them fly, too, would be too much.This quirky, local tradition is steeped in rigorous mechanics and community spectacle. There are other such races across the country and around the world, from the da Vinci Days Graand Kinetic Challenge in Corvallis, Oregon, and the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race in Baltimore, to the Papio Kinetic Sculpture Parade Key West Florida and Canberra’s Kinetic Sculpture Race in Canberra, Australia.In these races, the vehicles, also known as “Kinetics,” are custom-built, people-powered works of art, according to Arcata’s home web page. They range from giant riding teeth to fire-breathing dragons “and require immense engineering to traverse both land and water.”The Arcata event was started by a local artist in 1969 and has been going strong—because you have to pedal to get anywhere—ever since. Some races may be different, but Arcata’s is not just a three-terrain competition, it’s also held over a grueling three-day route:Day 1: Starts at noon on the Arcata Plaza, from where racers pedal to the coast, tackle the treacherous Samoa Dunes, and cross into Eureka.Day 2: Pilots launch their contraptions straight into the waters of Humboldt Bay for a daring float, before embarking on a massive land haul to Crab Park.Day 3: The final stretch features a challenging crossing of the Eel River and ends at the finish line in quaint downtown Ferndale. One entry, the Feisty Boys, could be heard chanting, “No! Sleep! Till Ferndale!!!!” The Rules: Every piece of the machine must be powered by its human pilots. Motors are strictly forbidden, and the same core vehicle must be used across all terrains. The Glory: Winning the race takes more than just speed. Participants can compete for the ultimate title of “Grand Champion,” or vie for subjective, performance-based honors like the coveted “Mediocre Award,” which rewards teams for their humor and endurance despite inevitable mechanical breakdowns.Crazy event has been going forward since 1969, and there are othersThe wild event traces its roots back to 1969 when Arcata/Ferndale metal sculptor Hobart Brown converted his son’s tricycle into a five-wheeled “pentacycle” and challenged local artists to a friendly race, Arcata’s home page says. Today, it remains a beloved, fiercely community-driven celebration of engineering, creativity, and endurance.The home page has links to other events, many of which have not taken place yet, so there’s still time. You can visit the Kinetic Grand Championship Official Site to see.