A Pinewood Derby for everyone
/Scouts event is open to the public
Pinewood derby cars may be decorated in any way an entrant chooses. This example was made by Doug Soseman. Photo by Dan Mundt
Each spring, scouts in Denison’s Cub Scout Pack 49 compete in a pinewood derby, for which the kids build small, unpowered racing cars.
This year, the event has been reimagined to open the race to anyone and everyone in the community.
“It will be a good way to get the public involved in a scouting event, and we’re hoping that it will help with recruiting for Cub Scout Pack 49,” said Troy Gehlsen, Denison Boy Scout Troop 55 leader. “It’s a way to let the public know that scouting is still alive and well in Denison.”
Gehlsen and Calista Earl, Cub Scout Pack 49 leader, are working together on the new version of the event.
“When Pack 49 and Troop 55 got together, we were just trying to brainstorm what we could do together for a public event. We thought about the pinewood derby, because the scouts are always known for pinewood derbies,” Gehlsen said. “If a former scout has really good memories of scouting, one of them has to be the pinewood derby.”
Gehslen encourages everyone to consider entering the contest.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a student who’s not a scout or a high school kid or a business owner or a parent or anybody,” he said. “We will get you a kit, you can build it and show up on race day and we can have some fun.”
For a $25 entry fee, participants will receive a kit for making a car for the race.
“The kit has a block of (pine) wood, four wheels and the axles; basically, anything you need to build the car is right there,” he said. “If you need sandpaper and graphite (to be used as an axle lubricant) or anything like that, it’s up to the individual who is building the car. You can paint it any color you want, or you can wrap it. One year, one of our scouts made it look like a shark. It looked pretty cool.”
Others have decorated their cars to look like race cars or added logos from their favorite football or baseball teams.
“You can get creative with them,” Gehlsen said. “You can shape it any way you want; there’s a science to this stuff and some people really get into it.”
The one rule that can’t be changed is that the car must not weigh more than five ounces on race day.
“We have a really good scale,” he said. “If it comes in a little too heavy, we can take weights off or drill holes in the bottom to lighten the load, but it cannot be over five ounces.”
The entry fee covers the cost of the kit and will pay for the awards given on race day.
“It’s also a small fundraiser for Pack 49 for taking their time to put on the event,” Gehlsen said.
The scouts have a four-lane aluminum racetrack with an electronic scoreboard that will be used for the derby.
“It’s a pretty nice track,” he said.
To enter or for more information, contact Gehlsen at 712-269-0597 or Earl at 712-269-9616.
Kits will be available by the end of February.
The pinewood derby will take place from 2-4 p.m. on March 10 at Boulders Conference Center.
“We have several boy scouts that have not raced for a while; they really want to race their cars,” Gehlsen said.
“It’s going to be a fun community event and a way to have a little fun with scouts, and if it helps do a little recruiting, that would be fantastic.”
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