Travel NC With Kids: 2015 'Twas the Night Before Bed Race Pictures

2015 Twas the Night Before Bed Race © Katrena

This year, 2015, brought out the largest lineup of beds and racers in Mocksville's 4th 'Twas the Night Before Bed race. This free family holiday event featured 19 brave teams of five, each consisting of four pushers and one rider.

Mocksville Bed Race © Katrena

The fourth annual event brought out a crowd that filled Main Street to overflowing as Christmas music played.

Family Friendly Christmas Activities in Mocksville © Katrena

The lighting of the oak trees and heart of town with white lights makes the beautiful Davie County town come alive with the holiday season. Many shops go all out with their decorations inside and out.

Fun Things to Do in Davie County © Katrena

Although the town had to remove two of the majestic oak trees at the main square, the crowd only grew bigger in 2015. The spirit of a town does not merely live in trees and lights but within the hearts of those who call Mocksville, Davie County, and surrounding areas home.

Christmas Lights and Bed Race in Mocksville © Katrena

This year marked a few changes. All teams had the opportunity to line up and parade down the street turned into racetrack, a great idea because many of the faster teams simply look like a blur when they are in the heat of battle!

2015 Mocksville Bed Race in Davie County © Katrena

The town might be small, but they attract a pretty large following, even the WXII news crew. It is not every day that one gets to see a group from a local local TV station running at breakneck speed and laughing all the way!

Christmas Activities in Piedmont NC © Katrena

This year also offered an intermission. A few of the younger generation took full advantage of that interlude and took to dancing in the middle of the street. How often does a town completely shut down Main Street for something other than a parade? Perhaps next year Mocksville will have a flash mob during the interlude.

Davie County Bed Race 2015 © Katrena

The bed race of 2015 featured 19 teams – the largest group so far. Folks saw quite a variety of costumes and team decorations. Many returned from last year, such as Manna Movers, Kathy Riddle missile, the Davie County football team, and the defending champions Building Blocks of Hope.

Mocksville Christmas Activities © Katrena

The police department and fire department faced off to a photo finish. The race was so close that even the crowd could not decide which one was the winner. In order to satisfy any doubts, they raced again, with the fire department moving to the next round.

Pictures from 2015 Mocksville Bed Race © Katrena

Many of the teams put such creativity into their beds! The 4-H crew decorated their bed with a variety of lights. Filet of chicken featured a metal bed with letters that had been cut through that metal. Everyone had a chance to see all the details of the Worker Bees team as they calmly strolled down the street when it was their turn.

Bed Race on Main Street in Mocksville, NC © Katrena

Many in the crowd talked about how the various teams met the challenge of having a rider. Several large character animals enjoyed the view from the bed while one strong guy hung on for dear life as he rode atop a table that resembled an operating room bed. One bed offered handlebars for the bed rider to grip.

Fun Christmas Activities in NC © Katrena

With any race, folks might see a bit of rivalry. Maybe a bit of going outside the lane to get up close and personal with the opposing team. After all, North Carolina is known for some racing legents. I would say that all teams stuck together through thick and thin and even a lost tire. Except for that lone minion who left his position and ran like nobody's business to get in front of the other team at the finish – nice try but no dice...except maybe a consolation prize and some cash.

2015 Bed Race Fastest Teams © Katrena

Prizes were awarded to the top three fastest teams, most outrageous, most creative, best package, and the slowest team. The fastest team was also awarded a spare bicycle tire with a challenge to come back next year. All teams were ages 15 and up, but I think many teams were kids at heart. Food vendors offered treats, and many downtown shops with finely decorated windows stayed open late.

WXII featured the event on the news, including a YouTube video showing the cone that went down for the count. The news crew also collected non-perishable food items for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Davie County featured the bed race sign-up details on their blog.

I spoke with someone who moved to Davie County just a little over a year ago. She said the bed race was one of the first events that happened after she got settled in and that she quickly discovered that Davie County is actually a happening place filled with a variety of activities for families. She had recently participated in the dog walk under the natural beauty of a meteor shower at Tanglewood – yep, even the newcomers find their way around pretty quickly.

It doesn't take long to find that the community has a Cruise In and tractor parade during warmer months, and the county offers museums, walking trails, and more.

If you missed the bed race or came and are ready to return to Main Street, bring a bag for your candy and come on out to the Mocksville Christmas parade that starts at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21. Who knows? You might see a few of the beds from last night in the parade.

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Saturday, November 21, 2015

2015 'Twas the Night Before Bed Race Pictures

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