Roughly 80 Cub Scouts participated in this year’s Piasa Bird District Pinewood Derby at Alton Square Mall Saturday, Feb. 16. The event, sponsored by Jack Schmidt Chevrolet in Wood River, took place in the first floor commons area of the mall.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“The Pinewood Derby is a big part of Cub Scouting,” said Mike Eschbach. “One purpose of this event is for the Cub Scout to work with an adult and learn how to build something."
Starting off with just a block of wood, the Cub Scouts work with an adult to plan and strategically build the car to race in the derby.
“My dad and Den Leader helped me with my car,” said 9 year-old Lucas Heyen from Ben-Gil Elementary in Gillespie. “Sanding it down was a lot of work, but painting it was great!”
Building the boxcar can take quite some time. Workshops were hosted to give the opportunity for Cub Scouts to get some production time with others and use the tools they might not have at home.
“They shape it and put the wheels on and do any add-ons,” said Eschbach. “But it must fit regulations.”
The car must not be any more than 2 ¾ inches wide or 7 inches long and must weigh 5 ounces or under. The cub scouts are given a rules and regulations handout that has in-depth set of laws when it comes to the Pinewood Derby.
Eschbach believes the best thing the Cub Scouts get out of an event like this is the not only the discipline of following the rules and regulations, but sportsmanship, competitiveness, strategic planning and creativity.
Each car was different, reflecting the character of the Cub Scout. In response to his love of video games, Lucas decided to go with a Mindcraft themed boxcar and named it ‘Pixilized’ in reference to the graphic element of the popular computer game.
The race went on throughout the afternoon until all Cub Scouts had the chance to race their car that they spent hours building. See winners below.
Pinewood Derby Winners
Tiger – 1st grade
Fastest time- Dennis Fulkerson- Pack 3044 in Roxana
Best of Show- Mason Priest- Pack 3101 in Bethalto
Wolf - 2nd grade
Fastest time- William Steiner Pack 3030 in East Alton
Best of show -William Steiner
Bear - 3rd grade
Fastest time-
Ethan Bruhn - Pack 3101 in Bethalto
Best of show-
Timmy Melton - 3101in Bethalto
Webelos – 4th and 5th grade
Hunter Watson - Pack 3059 in Jerseyville
Best of show - Will Kuhn in Pack 3016 in Alton
The overall winner with the fastest time is Hunter Watson of Pack 3059 in Jerseyville
The overall winner for Best of Show is Wil Kuhn of Pack 3015 in Alton
More like this:
