Pinewood derby to acquaint scouts to racing
A great way to initiate boys and girls to the thrills of car racing is when Boy Scouts of Imperial Valley host its inaugural Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Races at Eager Park in Imperial on Saturday.
Race registration is at 8 a.m. and the race begins at 9 a.m. There will be 80 scouts from four units: Pack 4086 of Imperial; Pack 4020 of Brawley; Pack 4072 and Pack 4076 both of El Centro.
All cars are built by competitors from a kit, noted Steve Sano, Boy Scouts of America Desert Trails District executive.
“They get a block of wood eight inches long with tires and they paint and design it, usually with a parent or uncle,” said Sano. “Some make the cars look like a Star Wars jets or a NASCAR car. We have unit workshops where scouts and parents can learn how to produce the cars.”
Cars are raced on wood and aluminum tracks about 10 yards long, about chest high, with an incline and with three or four tracks. Winners will qualify to advance to the Scout Fair on April 8 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego where they’ll vie for a winner among hundreds of scouts among the two counties.
And for the first time, 30 girl scouts are also racing cars they’ve built, at the same track as Cub Scouts use. Girl Scouts registration begins at noon with racing at 1 p.m. This will be girl scouts service unit 681. They’ll receive first-, secondand third-place ribbons for each service unit competition. Also, the top three racers overall receive medals. And medals will be awarded for best paint job, most artistic and most unusual, noted Nina Crabtree, regional recruitment specialist.
In addition, on the other side of Eager Park will be the Sunrunners 33rd annual Carne Asada Run Car Show that starts at 10 a.m. “This is the first time we’ve done this, using multiple packs in conjunction with a car club,” said Sano. “Nationwide, scouts across the country are holding a Pinewood Derby throughout March. But our girl scouts will not be traveling to San Diego for the regional competition.”
There is also music, a 50/50 raffle, trophies, T-shirts for sale, and dash plaques and goody bags for the first 150 participants. An awards ceremony is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
The Derby is organized in cooperation with the city of Imperial Market Days. There will be available locally produced fresh produce and other food items.
“The mission of the Cub Scouts is the same as the Girl Scouts,” said Sano. “We focus on citizenship, patriotism, personal fitness and character development, but the whole point is, to have family fun.”