This past weekend, Camp Happy Days took over a section of Hampton Park in downtown Charleston for one of the more unique fundraisers you'll encounter, the Charleston Bed Race. In its fifth year, the Bed Race boasted a jump castle, a giant stingray, a beer garden, delicious eats from Cilantro's Rolling Gourmet and Kickin' Chicken, the always refreshing Italian Ice and King of Pops popsicles, and jams from Mix 96 radio station...and that's not even the REAL reason we came out. The highlight of the day was of course the homemade "beds" teams created to race head to head for the Charleston Bed Race trophy and to help raise money for kids kickin' cancer in South Carolina.
Teams were comprised of four team members pushing the beds with one person riding the wheeled contraptions. Teams lined up and raced side by side down their lanes until they reached a turn around point at the other end of the park. The teams then booked it back toward the starting line to finish their heat, with the winning team from each heat advancing. Wheel size, turning radius, weight, and sturdiness of build all impacted speed (and whether or not the beds rolled back across the finish line or had to be carried).
In addition to the construction of the bed racers, teams chose themes and often times costumes to accent their beds. Beds were raced by bananas, squirrels, Batman, and the muppets to name a few. Their rides included a camo hideaway, a school bus, a redneck rickshaw, a boxing ring, and a VW Bus. Speed was the most important part of the day, but folks took note of style points as they voted for their fan favorite by donating to the Camp Happy Days Bed Race fundraising total.
Many teams made impressive runs, but the final came down to The King of Pops and Team Peace Bo. The teams had faced each other earlier in the day with Team Peace Bo beating out the King of Pops. However, the King of Pops team fought their way back through the consolation rounds to the finals and were able to inch out Team Peace Bo for the win in one of the closest races of the day.
Attendees and racers alike enjoyed a fun day with beautiful weather while supporting a great organization. To learn more about Camp Happy Days, click here.
Audra Gibson
Audra Gibson is a Christian, photographer, surfer, and a lover of teriyaki steak bites. She enjoys live music, doesn't like to be cold, and she's a bit of a cheese snob. Traveling Ink was her little brain child and she's very happy that you're here. She'd be oh so happy to recommend her favorite tours and attractions in town, help you with a team building event, or organize a day (or week) of fun for you and your group.
Website: www.audragibson.com