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• Photo by Mark McKenna

"For the Glory!" Ready yourself for the rallying cry ringing out across the county this weekend as dozens of Kinetinauts (nuts?) and their human-powered contraptions roll, rumble and race across sea, sand, mud and land during the Kinetic Grand Championship happening May 27-29 (free). The Humboldt County Memorial Day Weekend tradition celebrating the wacky and wonderful pairing of art and engineering has been going — not for money, not for fame, but for the glory — since 1969.

Catch the romp and circumstance Saturday at the Arcata Plaza between 10 a.m. and noon as teams preen and prime themselves for the three-day journey. At the noon whistle, the teams start their pedaling, taking a few laps around the square in front of the Rutabaga Queens, who get be to all judgey. 'Cause there are actual written rules. Like your brakes need to work. And "Bodies are our only Batteries." And everybody "must try their best to have FUN at all times." Teams will then head off to Manila for the first leg, where at 1 p.m., you can watch them tumble, slide and flop down Deadman's Drop before making their way through Eureka, ending at Halvorsen Park with an all-day, early evening party (free). Sunday, vehicles cross the bay and head south through Loleta and Fernbridge to the finish line on Main Street in Ferndale on Monday. And all along the way, there are parties and pit stops with music and good times. For a complete schedule of events, check www.kineticgrandchampionship.com.