The fanciful mechanical concoctions to be witnessed this year will amaze, astound, and, with Lady Luck’s serendipitous caress, inspire too The People in attendance! Huzzah!
Engineers’ Arcade Gallery
The Engineers’ Arcade also has updated photographic depictions, featuring:
The lads known as the Uff-Da’s (who built the Welded Sykellen for 2008 Handcar Regatta) are steadfastly proboscis to the grinding disc on their latest contraption:
BENEFIT
Those local charmers and wunderkinds of the backyard tool, Krank-Boom-Clank, are set to tear up The Toad and RAISE FUNDS with BIG WHEEL shenanigans and raffle prizes of WORTH!
Grab your Velocipede and make haste to Railroad Square and help K-B-C help YOU revel in the imminent delights of pedal-powered-gizmos for The People!
~ SMASHING! ~
So, dear reader and lover of dashing artistes and calamitous contraptions, sally forth with shattered piggy banks in hand to support your lively neighborhood builders and their many projects of kinetic conveyances of whimsy!
Huzzah!
~ CAN’T MAKE IT? ~ Please consider donating at the K-B-C Web site. Their projects require much time, energy, and resources. These works are a labor of love for the fun of kinetic art and for enjoyment by all. Your help is appreciated AND necessary to bring their wheels to life.
K-B-C WINE! Indeed, you heard correctly. Special bottles of the most prized Zin grapes in all of California have been carefully fermented as a venue for K-B-C’s own label: “Krank-Boom-Clank — Drunk on Big Wheels since 2008“
2 BOTTLES in a basket of goodies from Tin Roof Cellars, graciously donated by our very own maven of 2009 Regatta Tin Roof Saloon, Lisa Hutchinson
2 BOTTLES of Burning Hawk Wine, graciously donated by local philanthropic paragon, Nick Papadopoulos
2 CANS of splendid Taylor Maid Farms Coffee, PLUS 2 TINS of civilized and fragrant Tea
“SWEET RIDE” WITH K-B-C including a stirring package of four (4!) titillating musical mixes on CD, amorously produced by each of the boys for your willing indulgence. WARNING: Some shocking surprises may result.
FRESH HOME BAKED GOODIES from our own Mistress of the Thread and Regatta Set Designer, Theresa Hughes
Large FRONT ROW seats at a Huge concert!
And the most talked-about prize of all: IMPRUDENT RIDES upon the famed Hennepin Crawler!
The hale and hearty boys from Krank-Boom-Clank absconded for the Bay Area peninsular wilds, ensnaring some five Editor’s Choice ribbons for their toils!
Do relax with a momentary annotated ride about the faire grounds upon said Crawler…
URGENT NEWSFLASH!
Todd Barricklow, of the Steam Pedal renown in 2008, is hosting a fundraiser this Sunday for his latest masterpiece of cockeyed carriages on the rails:
Featuring: Such local eminent persons as Kelly “What-Won’t-I-Do” Cowan as master of ceremonies and the euphonious mélange of musicality called Earstu.
AND:
Raffles for Todd’s own artwork, some welded sculpture, Roshambo Wine, a cool bike bag by Lucie Goods, and more!
Did You Know?
The title of Mr. Barricklow’s Two Penny contraption refers to the large wheeled bicycles of yore known as “Penny Farthings”, “Bone-Shakers”, and occasionally just “High-Wheels.” Todd’s extravagant machine has upped the penny-ante by incorporating two wheels AND fabricating them by hand at a whopping 8 feet in diameter! Impressive indeed. One of the wheels will be on hand for proper inspection.
We, at The Great Handcar Regatta, tip our toppers in awe at Mr. Barricklow’s feats of the tool. Dear reader: please mount one’s own Penny Farthing or bicycle to attend the Toad for a rousing good time and to support your local makers of art and kinetic eccentricity.
The steadfast showboatin’ hucksters of kinetic whimsy known as Krank-Boom-Clank took Northern California by storm this past weekend of the 16th-17th of May, 2009.
We Regatteans are ever vigilant for all things kinetic around the globe. Recently, we discovered an accomplished group of delirious devisors out of Philadelphia, PA. They are set to launch their latest unruly contraption known rather ominously as:
The crew have been diligently documenting their construction days and nights, displaying that certain crackpot craftsmanship we love in kinetic sculpture devotees.
Also true to maker form is their DIY approach to events, parties, and general rousing fun in creating their own vital community of like-minded participants. Witness:
And what looks to be a terribly exciting event: PEX Summer Festival “We will be uniting for three days and nights of amazing music, art, education, dance, participatory shared experience and conscious connection on 200 acres of private land, just one hour south of Philadelphia.”
Partake of the following moving picture electro-luminescent display of the derby:
We wish Team Sand Reckoner many excellent voyages plus the stellar events and parties among fearless doers who spin the wheels of an emerging maker culture! Huzzah!
The plucky fellows known as Uff-Das, who last year built the windy Welded Sykellen, are setting sail again this season upon their modified chassis.
This year their craft is called the Wonkatania and is being modeled after the famed boat in the motion picture, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
As Mr. Wonka claims, “Invention, my dear friends, is ninety-three percent perspiration, six percent electricity, four percent evaporation, and two percent butterscotch ripple.”
I only hope the boys can survive the fabled Curse of the Oompa-Loompas which has found many a Halloween costumer and stage production actor to suffer peculiar mishaps and curious bodily discharges usually involving profuse cacao beans as well as dreadful visitations from “Whangdoodles,” “Hornswogglers,” “Snozzwangers,” and “Vermicious Knids.” Good luck, chaps!
As part of the ongoing series on Kindred Hackers, an extensive interview with local metal-mistress, Rebecca Nase, has been conducted to further edify our growing community of Northbay builders, makers, and all those who appreciate them.
Rebecca Nase first became known to the Handcar Regatta for her astounding metal work on my very own special award known as the “Erasmus P. Kitty Honorary Award” that was aptly received by Krank-Boom-Clank and their stunning Hennepin Crawler (see following trophy image below).
Rebecca Nase: Mostly I work in steel but I try to incorporate found materials as well. I like to collect interesting objects ranging from gears to antlers, to glass insulators. When I have an idea I curve and weld pieces of steel around one (or more) of these found objects, adding elements until it feels complete to me.
EPK: How would you describe yourself and your style of work?
RN: I’m a pretty neat and organized person. Tasks that I have to accomplish, as well as art projects that I create, play this kind of Tetris game in my head; this comes first, then this fits in here when I do that, after, I can squeeze this one in.
My process is pretty rapid and rhythmic. I don’t exactly see the end result when I begin, I just want to show the beauty of the material I use.
Peruse a majority of the race teams entered for 2009 Great Handcar Regatta:
WHEN
