The Pecan Valley District Pinewood Derby was held Saturday, March 2 at Heartland Mall, an event enjoyed by cub scouts from several towns in the area.
Cub scouts from Brownwood, Early, Goldthwaite, Lampasas, DeLeon and Stephenville competed in the double elimination tournament, showing their car building skills as their creations raced to the finish line. One winner from each age group, Tigers, Bears, Wolves, and Webelos raced in the finals. Cubmaster Steve Ellis was the announcer for the event which was sponsored by Big Country Ford.
Winners of this year’s District Pinewood Derby were Aaron Callaway 1st place, Blake Miller 2nd place, and Asher Callaway 3rd place.
A new track, made possible by a grant from the E.P. Woodruf Trust, was used for the second time during the regional event. The trustees of the Woodruf Trust gave the money to the Cub Scouts to be able to purchase this track which is was used for the first time in the annual Pinewood Derby of Brownwood Cub Scout Pack 14 on Saturday, January 26th at First United Methodist Church in Brownwood.
While the exhilaration of the actual race lasts only moments, the Pinewood Derby experience lasts a lifetime. The benefits for Cub Scout and adult are discovered through the derby process itself: strengthening bonds, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends.
Racing in the Pinewood Derby creates a bond between a Cub Scout and all those who have raced before, as well as those who will follow to participate in this same tradition. Walk up to any Boy Scout—youth or adult; if he participated in a derby, his memories will resemble those of all other participants in the history of the event.
The first Pinewood Derby was held in 1953 by Cub Scout Pack 280C of Manhattan Beach, California, operated by the North American Aviation Management Club. It was the brainchild of Cubmaster Donald Murphy. The derby, publicized in Boys’ Life in October 1954, was an instant and enduring hit. The magazine offered plans for the track and car, which featured “four wheels, four nails, and three blocks of wood.”
Photos by Emily Hutson.
