North America' Photography

Songbirds Photo

Just in Time for Spring in America

American Festivals Project

Photos and Video From Festivals Across North America

Shots From March Across the Country

Unknown Festival in America

On the Road With American Festivals

Bullwinkle Team

Photograph by Andrew Owen, American Festivals Project

Every February in Camden, Maine, groups of two-, three-, and four-person teams dress in costume and race down a frozen track to compete for the fastest time and a toboggan trophy. In 2009, the American Festivals Project tagged along to the U.S. National Toboggan Championships to document the fun.

Here, Team Bullwinkle prepares to take a run down the chute.

Tailgating

Photograph by Andrew Owen, American Festivals Project

Tailgating is a big part of the Americas National Toboggan Championships. Many teams bring their family and friends—and an impressive amount of food for the two-day event. Some even bring little sleds to give future racers a taste of what’s to come.

Wonder Sled

Photograph by Ross McDermott, American Festivals Project

Members of Team Wonder Sled apply wax to the bottom of their four-person toboggan before their first run of the day. Waxing is legal but racers have to follow other rules: Only wooden sleds of traditional shape and construction are eligible, and sleds can't weigh more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms).