Hobart Brown

• Illustration — The Original People Powered Bus, Kinetic Sculpture In 1969, Hobart started the Kinetic Sculpture Race, almost by accident when he modified his son's tricycle to a five-wheeled, decorated "Pentacycle" and another local artist and gallery owner, Jack Mays, challenged him to a race down Main Street on Mother's Day. Raceday came, so did ten other challengers. Neither Hobart nor Jack won the race, that honor went to Bob Brown (no relation) piloting his Kinetic Turtle. Hobart was acclaimed "the Glorious Founder" of the race. The races continue as of 2025. The race is no longer just down the street but now is the longest human powered sculpture race in the world. The course covers approximately 42 miles of sand, water, pavement, hills, more water, roads and freeways from Arcata, California to Ferndale, California. Hobart continued to sculpt and start other races. About ten Kinetic Races occur every year, from Baltimore to Western Australia, the spirit of "Adults having fun so children want to get older" infects individuals everywhere it lands. His later years were spent battling a disfiguring and crippling rheumatoid arthritis. He continued his twice yearly peregrinations from north to south in search of the warmest, driest times of the year.

• Illustration — A sculpture of copper and brass on steel armature A few of Hobart's many exhibits have included: White House and Smithsonian Museum, Washington, D.C.; the Ronald Reagan Museum, BC Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA; LA City Museum; Palm Springs Museum; Leeuwin Estates, Australia; and the Oscar Mayer Museum. Hobart's collectors include President Ronald Reagan, Johnny Carson, Congressman Don Clausen, LA City Museum, U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, Riverboat Casino Las Vegas, California Department of Transportation, the College of the Redwoods and more than 500 individuals and companies. Hobart created the Republican Party Perpetual Trophy by commission from the Party. Over the years, Hobart received many awards including listings in Who's Who Worldwide, being made an honorary Rotarian and annual proclamations from both the Eureka and Arcata City Councils. Hobart was covered by media including: • Television – ABC, CBS, CNN, Disney, NBC Today Show, Nickelodeon, Weird Houses and Weird Wheels, Game Show Network, and more. • Movies – "It will Have Blinking Eyes" an award-winning documentary about the Kinetic Sculpture Race by China Blue films shown at the Sundance Film Festival. • Print – National Geographic World, Popular Mechanics, San Francisco Chronicle, Smithsonian Magazine, The Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, The Age, Perth Australia Time, Times-Standard, Arcata Eye, North Coast Journal, Humboldt Independent and The Eureka Reporter. • Radio – broadcaster for six years and many interviews. • Publications • Kinetic Sculpture Racing, A Complete Guide: Founder Hobart Brown Tells All – a guide to Kinetic Sculpture Racing and its underlying philosophy. • Author and co-author of numerous articles in newspapers and local journals. • Quotations • "We're adults having fun so kids will want to get older." • "Money doesn't always bring happiness. People with ten million dollars are no happier than people with nine million dollars." from "The Peter Principle," by Laurence J. Peter.