But officer, I was racing a bed!
Retroactive Clothing, dressed in disco-era clothing, walks in the bed parade before the race.
The Three Rivers Credit Union Bed Race started at 6:50 and was over in an hour. That’s because the beds were zooming as fast as they could go down Main Street with a finish line between Calhoun and Clinton.
For a first-timer, the bed race was extraordinary. For some reason, when I first thought of a bed race, I was thinking of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the old movie with Angela Lansbury and the dad from Mary Poppins. I pictured brass queen beds being pushed by track stars down the street. I was right about one thing — the track stars. I was amazed by how much thought is put into a bed design, how much strength and endurance it would take to push a bed and the length of which the bed would go. I pictured a hill, the straight shot down Main Street must have been difficult to get going.
Some teams were dressed in costume — Retroactive Clothing wore disco-era fashion similar to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever and the St. Joseph Hospital team wore scrubs when pushing their gurney. Some teams were just happy they finished the race (Pizza Hut) and some had technology on their side — the American Boys bed was designed like a tank and shot water out a spray gun.
The crowd enjoyed themselves and Jeff Bruce of Three Rivers Credit Union estimated between five and six thousand people were watching along the side of the street. Some people set up their lawn chairs two or three hours before the race started. It was like watching the parade all over again, except much faster and with beds.
Reigning champions: DeBrand Chocolate
DeBrand Chocolates, the 2007 champions, kept their title this year as returning winners with Imago Dei in second. The DeBrand bed had three wheels — which I discovered makes for easier steering — and netting instead of a mattress — keeping it lightweight and aerodynamic.
I would definitely recommend any and everybody checking out the bed races in upcoming years. It was fun and for a TRF newbie (like myself) it was a blast.
Check out the more in-depth coverage of the bed race in tomorrow’s paper.
The best bed, earning a $200 prize:
- The American Boys tank (bed) sprayed water!
Post and photos by Kelly Metz of The News-Sentinel.
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