(Photo courtesy of the wgbh.com) “Entries in the Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race must be able to handle all types of terrain, including as seen here, the Merrimack River.”

Paul Melkonian
Connector Contributor

Saturday morning Sept. 20, Market Street, Lowell. Several hundred people milled around in a festive atmosphere; the street blocked at Shattuck and Central Streets by Jersey barriers. A magnificent twelve-foot tall, orange and pink feathered creature walked among the crowd. An Imperial Storm Trooper and a Sith Warrior exchanged pleasantries. At 10:30 a.m., the masses parted, and a Dixieland band appeared and paraded through the middle of the crowd. That, and the faint scent of cannabis in the air, gave the morning a Mardi Gras feeling. This wasn’t just any fall Saturday. It was the third Saturday in September. The Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race (LKSR) was about to commence. 

According to the LKSR website, racers bring together elements of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) to construct “all-terrain, human-powered, art sculptures.” For three and a half hours they compete on road, water, mud and sand. And they have been doing it since 2016 

Co-founder and current race director Michael Roundy came up with the idea when he was attending Humboldt State University in California. The original kinetic sculpture race was held in Ferndale, California in 1969. When the race caught Roundy’s eye, it was a three-day event covering over 40 miles. “I always had it in the back of my mind that New England would love it as much as I did,” said Roundy, an Assistant Professor in UMass Lowell’s Art & Design Department. 

Roundy and co-founder Bianca Mauro, owner of BRM Production Management out of Chelmsford, were introduced by a mutual friend, and the Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race became a reality. Mauro, whose company specializes in large public art installations, took one look at a video of the California race and was sold on the concept. “Once I saw [the] video, I knew that not only could I produce this here, but that Lowell would be the perfect venue,” she said. 

There are six pages of rules on the LKSR website. While many of the rules cover topics like approved materials, number of racers al- lowed, and race etiquette, most of them spring from their “One Rule to Rule Them All: You must have Fun!” For example, all sculptures must carry “a loveable stuffed animal” for therapeutic purposes. Said animal must be provided with a comfortable place to sit. Violation of this rule results in a one-hour time penalty. Bribery is encouraged but the rules are unclear on its effectiveness. 

The race started at 11:30 a.m. and immediately presented the first obstacle: Bone-Shak- er Alley, otherwise known as the cobblestones of Middle Street. From there they wound through local streets to the Tsongas Arena rotary, next to which the second challenge waited. The Maddening Mud pit was constructed in the parking lot of Joan D’arc Credit Union. Twenty-seven yards of loam mixed with almost one thousand gallons of water formed a 75-foot long, 6-plus inches deep slop through which racers forged their crafts. Volunteers resloshed the pit after each contestant passed, ensuring none could benefit from their predecessor’s tracks. 

Those lucky enough to survive strove on to the final major obstacle, the Merrimack River itself. At the Sampas Pavilion on Pawtucket Boulevard, the sculpturers plunged into the water, navigated approximately 1,000 feet upriver, emerged and headed for the finish line. They ended where they began, back on Market Street. 

An official list of winners was not available at press time. But with 18 awards and 16 racers this year, all entrants were potentially winners. Among the awards are traditional ones based on finishing first and most artistic sculpture. Most of the awards are based on that first rule of fun. Among these is the Worst Honorable Mention (“Lowest Award known to Human- kind”), The Very Competitive Non-Competitive Award of Mediocrity (“Awarded to the kinetic sculpture finishing in the middle”), and The Next To Last Award, the purpose of which is to keep the end of the race exciting. 

The Connector caught up with Jay Hun- gate, the only sculptor to participate in every LKSR. Over the years he has entered “four or five” different vehicles. This year’s entry resembled a giant periwinkle on wheels. It was named “What the Shell.” Hungate, who was unaware of his distinction but seemed pleased when informed, said, “I’m not an engineer, I just wing it.” The 2025 race marked the passing of the shell of sorts for Hungate. For the first time he served on the pit crew and did not pilot his entry. His replacement was his former co-pilot, and current daughter, Fiona. The Connector confirmed that Hungate’s stuffed animal, Stanley the Snail, was indeed situated comfortably.