A group of cyclists with duck accessories was ready for the rainy weather Saturday.

The Soda Quackers returned for their 10th Kinetic Sculpture Race, bearing gifts of resin medal bribes for the judges. The beloved annual festival beckons racers — or pilots, as they are called — to display their human-powered sculptures on a 15-mile course that winds through Baltimore, up steep hills, through mud and sand, and into the water.

The Soda Quackers from New Hope, New Jersey, participate in the Kinetic Sculpture Race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum Saturday. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Lauren Bird from New Hope, NJ participate in the Kinetic Sculpture Race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum on May 4, 2024. Her group is the "Soda Quackers" and it is their tenth year participating.
Lauren Bird from New Hope, New Jersey, participates in the race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

The race, put on by the American Visionary Art Museum, isn’t supposed to be taken seriously; the fastest don’t get first prize, and bribes are the norm. Heavy rain only added to the absurdity of the day featuring a giant pink poodle named FiFi, oversize pink flamingos and, of course, the Soda Quackers.

A biker pants as they push the "Tail-or-Swiftie" rubber duck sculpture up Battery Avenue as part of the Kinetic Sculpture Race on May 4, 2024.
A biker pants as they push the Tail-or-Swiftie rubber duck sculpture up Battery Avenue. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)

Lauren Bird, from New Hope, New Jersey, came with her family and 10 grandchildren, as one of the duck-themed Soda Quackers.

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“We aren’t all related, but just like ducks we’ll sit on anyone’s nest,” she said. “Just like birds of a feather, we flock together.”

Racers for the Walters Art Museum, in an ode to John Waters, came dressed in their best hot pink attire to match their giant flamingo float. One of their team liaisons, Julie Hoover, said it was their third year participating.

“We’ve just inherited people over the years, and they’ve joined our team. Everyone made these wonderful pieces of art to be given away at the end,” she said as she gestured to the paintings of flamingos hanging off their bikes.

People look down at the sculptures lining up for the Kinetic Sculpture Race from Federal Hill Park, as framed through a flamingo part of the “The Waters [sic] Art Museum” sculpture, on May 4, 2024.
People view the sculptures lining up for the Kinetic Sculpture Race from Federal Hill Park. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Cyclists participate in the race. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Eric Schattschneider poses for a portrait with his flamingo helmet. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

Luke and Peter Owsianny, both 10, watched the race outside of 3 Bean Coffee on Key Highway. They say watching the race has inspired them to make their own sculpture in a few years.

Peter confidently stated that it’ll be completed in 2026, when he’s bigger and in middle school. Their sculpture will be a submarine, an exact replica of the USS Baltimore.

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“The periscope will control the rudder and steering wheel while we have Big League Chew gum firing out of a canon,” Luke said.

Their bribe will be cookies that look like submarines. When asked who is baking the cookies, Peter replied: “The adults, because those are adult things.”

They plan to blast the “Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner,” during their future 15-mile trek.

The Marching Knights of Baltimore City College walk by the "Tick Tock the Croc" sculpture ahead of the race May 4, 2024.
The Marching Knights of Baltimore City College walk by the Tick Tock the Croc sculpture. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
The Marching Knights of Baltimore City College perform despite the rain at the American Visionary Art Museum. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Cyclists participate in the Kinetic Sculpture Race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum on May 4, 2024. The mud obstacle at Patterson Park is the last and the hardest.
The mud obstacle at Patterson Park is the last and the hardest. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Spectators watch the water obstacle. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
A member of the mud team stands to the side of the obstacle at Patterson Park during the Kinetic Sculpture Race on May 4, 2024.
A member of the mud team stands to the side of the obstacle at Patterson Park. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
A member of CONEstoga Creamers is covered in mud. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Engineering students from Duke University participated in the Kinetic Sculpture Race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum on May 4, 2024.
Engineering students from Duke University paddle during the race. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Engineering students from Duke University participate in the race. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)
Jemicy School students row to the end of the water obstacle at Canton Waterfront Park. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
Spectators watch the Kinetic Sculpture Race begin from Federal Hill Park on May 4, 2024.
Spectators watch the race begin from Federal Hill Park. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
The Park School’s “The Statue of Li-bear-ty” is seen ahead of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, May 4, 2024.
The Park School entered The Statue of Li-bear-ty. (Kylie Cooper/The Baltimore Banner)
A cyclist makes it through the mud obstacle but not without effort during the Kinetic Sculpture Race hosted by the American Visionary Art Museum on May 4, 2024.
A cyclist makes it through the mud obstacle. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

Kaitlin Newman

Kaitlin.Newman@thebaltimorebanner.com

Kaitlin Newman

Kaitlin Newman is a photojournalist specializing in multimedia coverage. Her main areas of focus are politics, conflict, feature and breaking news. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Professional Writing from Towson University, which is where she is also the professor of photojournalism.

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