Courtesy Carl Neeley, 2018

Memorial Day Weekend is a fantastic time to visit Ferndale. Not only can you enjoy gardens in bloom amid our famously well preserved Victorian architecture, you can also experience one of Northern California’s wackiest and most cherished events: the Kinetic Grand Championship!

Known as the “Triathlon of the Art World,” the KGC is a three-day, 50-mile trek through Humboldt County undertaken by artistic teams and their kinetic sculptures—”all-terrain human-powered art vehicles, engineered to race over road, water, mud and sand.”

The grueling race always concludes on Ferndale’s Main Street on Memorial Day (this year, Monday, May 26, 2025), with a festive crowd ready to cheer on the finishing teams who compete, as the motto goes, “for the glory!”

Here are five things to know about Kinetics and visiting Ferndale on this fabulous weekend. (Credit to “Kinetic Kompendium” by Dawn Thomas—a copy of which you can browse at Mind’s Eye Manufactory and Coffee Lounge—for many of these historical facts!)

What to expect as a visitor: Ferndale’s charming array of overnight lodgings await you, and with the town nestled between Humboldt County’s state and national redwood parks, it’s the perfect place to base your Northern California trip. (InsureMyTrip even named Ferndale one of America’s 10 most charming small towns recently!)

Once here, you’ll experience our one-of-a-kind Main Street lined with independently owned boutiques, restaurants and cafes that keep visitors coming back year after year. Live music and local farmstands round out the vibe!

Memorial Day in Ferndale always starts with a 10 a.m. observance of the holiday recognizing fallen service members, with a solemn parade down Main Street to the Ferndale Cemetery before participants return to Veterans’ Hall. Then, starting at 1 p.m., the Kinetics start to roll in.

A tradition born in Ferndale: The first Kinetics race was the brainchild of Ferndale artists Hobart Brown and Jack Mays way back in 1969, and it took place over the course of just two blocks here during the Mother’s Day finale of the town art festival.

As Hobart famously said: “We’re adults having fun so children desire to grow older.”

All-terrain: Eventually, Kinetics evolved into a cross-country race. In 1974, three teams embarked from Fields Landing on Humboldt Bay, some 13 miles north of Ferndale, and traversed bay, beach and the Eel River before arriving in Ferndale. Two teams completed the course in about a day, while the trailing entry spent more than three weeks making the trek.

Nowadays, the race starts at the Arcata Plaza on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, traversing the Manila Dunes before landing in Eureka. The second day leads racers into Humboldt Bay, then back onto the road for a trek to Table Bluff. Finally, on Monday, teams cross the Eel River and wind their way through Ferndale’s backcountry farm roads before their glorious Main Street arrival.

Kinetic royalty: The Rutabaga Queen reigns over the grand championship each year, in a tradition created in the 1970s by Barbara Ludwick not long after the race’s inception. This “public ambassador” role is a competitive position and, as Thomas notes, the queen “must be bribed well,” along with other key players such as judges, “goddesses” (race organizers), “offishulz”...and even spectators!

Worldwide impact: Over the decades, from Coors sponsorships to national news coverage to international competitors and spectators, Kinetics’ cultural impact has continued to spread. Kinetics-inspired events now take place across the U.S. and even in Australia, while in our local region, a kids’ race in Eureka in the fall hopes to inspire the next generation to keep this artistic community thriving.

But only in Ferndale can you see where it all began! We love our visitors, and we can’t wait to welcome you this spring or any time of year! Explore VisitFerndale.com to plan your trip today.