Ready, Set, Nap!

To train for competition, bartender Paul Strike plans to clean his home. Someone advised him to vacuum in the unfamiliar footwear he'll run in: women's platform shoes.

For once, sharks and surfboards go hand in hand

Details

5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Call 561-279-9952 or visit the Website at delraybeach.com/bedrace.htm.

Along the 200 block of Pineapple Grove Way, Delray Beach

Related Content

• Party in a Garage — An Arts Garage
  April 26, 2012
• South Florida's Best Mojito
  April 13, 2012
• Life’s a Cabaret in Delray
  March 22, 2012
• Fourth-Annual Savor the Avenue: Eat at Florida's Longest Table
  March 15, 2012
• Great Food Truck Jam in Delray To Benefit Kosher Food Pantry
  May 5, 2012

More About

• Paul Strike
• Delray Beach
• Glenn Weiss

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Actually, the uniform for Strike's Washed Ashore Team from Lulu's Place in Delray Beach is supposed to include high heels, coconut tops, and grass skirts. But captain Terry Eichas agreed to the use of platforms. It may not be the most athletic of attire, but at least it'll be a blast.

Obviously, this isn't your average sporting event; some would hesitate even to relate it to sport. But competitors take the fifth-annual Pineapple Grove Bed Race fairly seriously. After all, the prize includes a trip to Hawaii.

The event, sponsored by Pineapple Grove Main Street, an arts and business district in Delray Beach, features 16 teams competing for two awards. In addition to the bed race, the best dressed bed will also be honored after a prerace parade.

"The beds are decorated for the parade in elaborate style,'' says Glenn Weiss, program manager for Pineapple Grove Main Street. The Lulu's Place bed, for example, is going to wear a grass skirt, just like its team members.

For the race, each bed is pushed by four team members. A fifth person sits on top. At the turn-around point, the teammates are required to fit through a hula hoop while holding hands. This, of course, involves a lot of shimmying and wiggling.

The cost to enter the event is $200, which goes toward expenses, including sending the winners to Hawaii. Watching is free. It's also hilarious.

The teams represent several local businesses, as well as crews from the city's ocean rescue and fire departments. "It's funny to see all these goofy people in the parade," Weiss says.

And although they're dressed for Hawaii, the high-heeled, coconut-topped team from Lulu's doesn't expect to win -- it's tough to run in heels, after all. But at least one team member will be able to say there are no crumbs in his carpet.