Kelly Knievel posted this photo of himself last month standing next to the memorial to his father, Evel Knievel, near the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River Canyon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY KNIEVEL
TWIN FALLS – The spirit of Evel Knievel lives on.
His son Kelly describes his father as “extraordinary,” “original,” and “charismatic,” and it is all these qualities that keep the daredevil in the spotlight even after all these years.
Another quality he remembers from his father is “bravery.”
Evel Knievel was brave enough to strap himself into a tin can with some hot water in it and try to jump over the Snake River Canyon.
Almost 50 years have passed since that rocket flight, which, although unsuccessful, put Twin Falls on the map and was an iconic moment for the daredevil, Knievel and Twin Falls do indeed seem inextricably linked.
To commemorate the September 8, 1974, event, Kelly helped organize a free motorcycle ride/parade across the Perrine Bridge on Sunday morning, followed by a celebration at the Koto Brewing Company on Main Avenue in Twin Falls, featuring music by a granddaughter of Evel Knievel and exhibits including the famous steam-powered Skycycle that Knievel used to attempt a mile-long jump across the canyon.
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Evel Knievel gives the crowd a thumbs up before climbing into his X2 Skycycle to attempt to cross the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls on September 8, 1974.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HERMAN WEOBKE
“He did so many original things,” Kelly Knievel told Times-News“And certainly that jump over the gorge was one of the most exciting and discussed ideas that people still remember 50 years later.”
His father captured the nation’s attention, as evidenced by the fact that five of the 25 most-watched programs on ABC’s Wide World of Sports were Knievel-related events, with the canyon jump coming in at No. 7. Tourists of all ages still come to the Twin Falls Visitor Center asking about the stuntman.
“It’s pretty much an everyday thing,” said Marcus Garcia, human resources manager at the visitor center.
Garcia says kids ask about Evel Knievel, probably because of the resemblance to the character Duke Caboom from the movie Toy Story 4.
A monument to the daredevil stands near the Perrine Bridge, and the mound of earth at the jump site is upstream from the bridge.
TWIN FALLS — 42 years ago this month, Robert “Evel” Knievel Sr. failed in a spectacular jump over the Snake River Canyon.
Kelly Knievel said he never heard his father express disappointment at the outcome of the canyon jump. During the jump, the Skycycle’s parachute opened prematurely and the rocket plunged into the canyon. Many feared that Knievel, who was safely strapped into the rocket, would drown if he fell into the river.
The fact that he survived was good enough, he said. Instead of going into the water, his father landed on one of the few sandbanks in the area and was rescued.
Evel Knievel’s X2 Skycycle crashes to the ground after the parachute prematurely releases just seconds after the jump attempt in the Snake River Canyon.
PHOTO COURTESY
Kelly Knievel said of the daring attempt: “He said he would do it, he kept his word and he survived.”
Planning for the 50th anniversary of the Canyon Jump began just a few months ago. The motorcycle tour through the Canyon will be led by stuntman Robbie Maddison, “a daredevil in his own right,” he said. Maddison broke the world record for motorcycle jumping in 2007, on the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel’s jump over the fountains of Caesar’s Palace, and later successfully surfed a wave in Tahiti on a motorcycle.
Six-time X-Game gold medalist Colby Raha will also be in attendance.
There will be opportunities for selfies and autographs, making it a fun event for everyone, he said – even if people weren’t born before the canyon jump. He said his father, who died in 2007, inspired many of today’s extreme athletes, including Raha.
Evel Knievel slides down a slope in the Snake River Canyon, surrounded by local police, after his failed canyon jump in 1974.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HERMAN WOEBKE
“Evel Knievel is the godfather of all this,” he said.
It was inevitable that someone else would try to repeat the canyon jump, said Kelly Knievel.
The recreation took place in 2016, when Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun flew over the canyon on a replica of Knievel’s X-2 Skycycle, built by Scott Truax, the son of Knievel’s rocket designer Robert Truax.
“My father always said the greatest flattery is when people imitate you,” said Kelly Knievel.
He emphasized the importance of the motorcycle ride, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Valley Wide Country Store at Crossroads Point north of the bridge, and invited motorcyclists from across the country to participate on social media.
“Evel Knievel was all about motorcycles and riding, so I would like to see the bridge full of motorcyclists,” he said.
“I hope people will ride their motorcycles across the bridge, not so much as a tribute to the Knievel family, but to recognize what a great American character Evel Knievel was.”
The motorcycle parade ends at the Koto Brewing Company, where the festivities continue and visitors are given the opportunity to view the daredevil’s relics.
Because the Skycycle is a historic relic, there will be no seating, Kelly Knievel said, but people will have the opportunity to have their picture taken in his father’s dragster wheelie car.
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the grand opening of the Evel Knievel Museum in Las Vegas, which is expected to open next year.
There, he said, his father’s items, including the Skycycle, will be displayed in the splendor they deserve. Many of the memorabilia are now in a museum in Topeka, Kansas.
Eric Goodell reports for the Times-News. You can reach him at [email protected].
