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Date: 9/5/2023
HOLYOKE — A staple of fun and excitement in Holyoke is returning once again this year with the 12th annual Great Holyoke Brick Race on Saturday, Oct. 14 from noon to 3 p.m. The event will once again be at the heart of a busy weekend for the city as it coincides with Doors Open 2023.
Sponsored by Paper City Studios in downtown Holyoke, the event has brought together the diverse community of Holyoke and surrounding towns for fun, excitement and creativity through brick races for over a decade. According to the group’s website, organizers claim their idea is the first such race anywhere in the country, and certainly the first brick race to ever take place in Holyoke.
The Great Holyoke Brick Race was born sometime in November of 2010 when Bruce Fowler and Dean Nimmer were trying to figure out how to stage an exciting racing event like the “Belt Sander” races they had seen through online videos. Unlike the “too tame” Pinewood Derby races Boy Scouts have, the two were looking to race something more “bizarre and crazy.”
Eventually, the two simplified their expectations to meet a wider audience as Fowler had a light bulb moment in the form of looking at a brick on his desk.
“What the hell, let’s just have a brick race, no motors, no propane, just a brick,” Fowler told Nimmer.
The Great Holyoke Brick Race was born and has maintained over a decade in bringing people together for an exciting and unique racing format. Since the first brick race in 2011, over 350 contestants and more than 1,000 spectators of all ages have come through Holyoke to be a part of the spectacle.
“After all, the Brick Race belongs to the city that invented volleyball, Holyoke, Massachusetts, now known as the hub of brick racing around the world,” their site writes.
Interested people of any age and background are welcomed to register for the races and anyone can be a part of the race, registering either as an individual or as part of a team. According to their website, the race is limited to 50 total contestants and is on a first come first serve registration basis.
The brick race emphasizes creativity and the sculptural quality of the race cars, along with creating the fastest car for the race itself. Race car specifications are as follows:
Entrants must build a race car to move a common building brick as the main component. A common brick is approximately 8 inches in length x 4 inches in width x 2.5 inches in height and weighs between 4 and 5 pounds.
Since the race cars will travel down an inclined plane using gravity only, you may not use any extra motors or propulsion systems that would aid the speed of the race car.
You may use any materials to build the race car including painting the brick. You may not use sharp, hazardous or flammable materials, and race organizers have the right to ban any race car that the judges deem to be dangerous.
To fit on the track, the total size of the race car, including the brick, cannot exceed 10 inches in width, 18 inches in length and 15 inches in height. (You may include lighter artistic elements over 15 inches in height).
The total weight of the brick race car, including the brick and all materials attached to it, should not exceed 15 lbs. in total.
To register visit www.thegreatholyokebrickrace.com/register-here.html.
Coinciding with the great brick race is Holyoke Doors Open 2023, a city-wide event that provides an opportunity for people to explore and discover the hidden architectural gems of the city and see behind doors that are rarely open to the public for free.
The goal of the event is to connect people with the local destinations in Holyoke of cultural, historical and architectural significance, bridging communities and inspiring new and broader perspectives.
This year’s Doors Open Holyoke, as well as the Great Brick Race will both hold some extra significance as it aligns with the city’s celebration of its 150th anniversary as a city. A full day of events is planned to commemorate the city’s 150th anniversary.
The dubbed, “Day in the Yoke” will feature the Doors Open event in the morning, with the rest of the day planned to be filled with more activities on the streets of Holyoke. This includes the Great Brick Race, and the afternoon and evening featuring the Paper City Food Truck Festival and live music.
“We’re really hoping people come down and check out some of the history, the architecture, some of the buildings you can’t normally get into, and then hang out for the Brick Race, hang out for some great food and music,” Office of Planning and Economic Development Director Aaron Vega told Reminder Publishing.
For more information about the Doors Open Holyoke event visit exploreholyoke.com