Today people made “vehicles” out of recycled appliances and raced them down a 500ft strip of road:

With accompanying crowds:

In recycled head gear (washing machine spinner thing?):

And color commentator Dana Lyons saying things like “I can’t look away from that rear end. Something about a dryer protruding from the middle of a washer takes my breath away. What does that say about my upbringing?”

Yes folks, welcome to the second annual Appliance Derby (or “Art Car 500” or “Bellingham Talladega”) where washing machines gussied up with sidecars (Two Fat Ladies, anyone?):

Compete with propane tanks:

 Labeled as “Krap”:

 All rolling downhill, getting maximum speed from gravity and manpower:

And the extra special faces on the drivers:

Occasionally bashing into hay bale bumpers (note the child in the bottom left corner):

Causing this kind of reaction from the crowd:

Why would anyone get in a washing machine and roll down a hill? Well, according to Dana Lyons “Bellinghamsters are a deeply competitive people beneath their kum-ba-yah exterior.” Plus he promised a “one million dollar gift certificate” to a local restaurant as prize money. Whereas I suspect Bellingham has more than the average number of recyclers because it’s so cold and dark and damp that people stay inside all day and think of ways to reuse their trash so they don’t have to go outside or spend any money.

And then there’s the promise of prizes. According to Dana, those prizes were for “fastest, best looking and most likely to save the world” or possibly for “crowd pleaser, first prize and most comfortable.”

Does this look comfortable to you?

No? Well, it won first prize.

Though I still love the sidecar the best.