It’s that time of year again – the Bizz Johnson Trail is bursting with color, the air is crisp and the smell of warm bubbling chili can be taken in at Lassen Land and Trail Trust’s 21st annual Rails to Trails Festival.
The festival, which this year is commemorating the historic depot’s 100th anniversary, will be held Saturday, October 12th, from 12:00 to 4:00p.m.
The centennial celebration will feature the traditional handcar races, chili cook-off, salsa competition, and vendors galore. Dakota Sid, with Travers Clifford and Homer Wills will take visitors back to the heyday of the railroad with music in the hobo tradition. Also performing at the event will be Wild Horse Drive and Tim Keesey.
Members of the Lassen Historical Society will bring Susanville railroad history to life through live actors who will be telling the story of our community and the railroad.
Also, you won’t want to miss the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Taking Aim Shooting Range with shooting safety instruction using BB guns, as well as wildlife habitat and conservation information.
The annual festival draws visitors from throughout the region, as well as offering our own community an opportunity to celebrate our railroad history, local rail-trails, including the Bizz Johnson and the Modoc Line, and have a great time doing it.
The nonprofit Lassen Land & Trails Trust originally planned the event to raise funding and community support to save the Susanville Railroad Depot, which is now the primary trailhead of the Bizz Johnson in Susanville.
The handcar races are the main attraction, the event that in the past brought folks from all over the west coast to Susanville. 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.
“I challenge more folks to come out and participate in these handcar races,” said Louise Jensen, Lassen Land and Trails Director. “We need to get the next generation out here having a good time.”
Costs per team are $50 or $10 per teammate and are non-refundable. You can click here and download the Handcar Race Competitor Entry Form. Good luck and have fun!
