A super secret Kinetic racing team will be unveiled for this year’s race at the Arcata Plaza on Saturday. During pageantry, where sculptures are judged beginning at 9 a.m.

, onlookers will be treated to a surprise. Jenette Kime (aka Goddess Jen-O), a Kinetic Universe board member, wouldn’t spill the beans — but said, “for anyone who’s seen the race before, they’ll know exactly who it is.” The legendary Kinetic Grand Championship, with roots dating back to 1969 created by Ferndale’s Hobart Brown, starts again this Memorial Day weekend.

As of Friday morning, 48 teams were signed up for the three-day, 50-mile race traversing land, water and sand. But it’s not uncommon for last-minute teams to register before the race begins Saturday at noon, signaled by the Goddess’s siren. In regular Kinetic fashion, the teams span from a toilet, a hobbit/disco-themed sculpture, to “Sparky” a foster dog representative, all part-engineering wonder, part artwork.

Veterans and newbies alike are set to participate, with teams from other states and at least one from another continent joining in for the glory. This year, Kime said Plan Bee, a team that started racing in 2022, is aiming to bribe every single volunteer. “We have, like, millions of volunteers.

And they’ve been crocheting bees and cutting out felt flowers, I think for years,” said Kime. The race spans 50 miles over steep dunes, water, highways and dirt between Arcata and Ferndale. Last year, the grand champio.