For 19 years Lassen Land and Trails Trust has sponsored one of the most exciting, colorful and well attended events that Susanville has to offer.
This Saturday from 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. the annual Rails to Trails Festival, at the historic Susanville railroad depot, will be held to celebrate the rail-trail conversion of the Bizz Johnson Trail in the 1980’s. The event features historic handcar races, a chili cook-off and salsa contest, a craft fair and live music.
Taste some of the absolute best of Susanville with the Chili Cook-off and Salsa Contest. More than 15 hand-crafted chili and salsa entries come together under one tent in a friendly competition to take home an award in one of many categories.
The tasting begins at noon and is a delicious way to enjoy the festival. Taste them all and vote for your favorite.
Rails to Trails will be showcasing live bluegrass music by Wild Horse Drive, a four-piece Nevada band playing originals and bluegrass favorites. Artisan crafters will be featuring a variety of one-of-a-kind items.
The main attraction, the event that brings folks from all over the west coast to Susanville, is the railroad handcar competition. These 900 pound see-saw contraptions were used by railroad workers to move up and down the rail lines.
Teams consist of 5 members, 4 pumpers and 1 pusher. They race against each other and the clock in the only side-by-side handcar race in California, with parallel tracks stretching over ¼ of a mile past Susanville’s historic railroad depot on Richmond Road.
The annual event, held this year in conjunction with the Bizz Johnson Marathon, supports Lassen Land and Trails Trust’s mission to conserve significant natural areas and working landscapes and to promote and enhance a system of leading public trails in northeastern California. Lassen Land and Trails Trust is a non-profit membership-based organization, which will celebrate 25 years of service to northeastern California in 2012.
For additional information visit www.llttweb.org or call (530) 257-3252.
