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 Annual Rails to Trails Festival.
The 20th Annual Rails to Trails Festival, presented by Lassen Land and Trails Trust, will be held this Saturday, October 6th, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The annual festival is an opportunity to celebrate our northern Sierra timber and railroad history, regional rail trails including the Bizz Johnson and Modoc Line, participate in traditional hand car races, vote for your favorite chili in a cook-off, as well as enjoy music all day and vendors galore.
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.”
If you are interested in participating contact Louise Jensen at (530) 257-3252 or at [email protected]. Come and help celebrate Lassen Land and Trails Trust’s twenty-five years of serving our Lassen County community!
