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Pinewood Derby Delight

photo by Melissa Brown Cub master Gary Rusell is the enthusiastic announcer for the Pinewood Derby.

photo by Melissa Brown Cub Scouts line the “Pit Stop” to prepare their cars for the upcoming races.

photo by Melissa Brown Derby cars line up to race.

Tuesday March 20, 2012

By Melissa Brown

    On Saturday, March 17, Holley Hall in Bristol was transformed into a race track. Cub scouts, den leaders, parents and racing fans all gathered together to watch the annual Pinewood Derby. Tigers, Bears, Wolves, and Webelo 1 packs have all been working on their cars for about two months. “We hand the cars out at Christmas, and then we start working on them in January,” says Committee Chair and Den Leader Kathy Correll. There are 40 children involved in Cub Scouts from both the Bristol and Starksboro areas.

     This program has been in the area for decades, and is led by parents and community members. The Derby cars range from the most basic of cars to those with elaborate decoration and design. And it is not only the cub scouts that get to race. There are also sibling races and parent races, so that everyone present can get involved. Chairs line the polished wooden race track for spectators to get an up close view of the racing.

     The race track, which was built in the late 1970’s, stretches almost the entire length of the main room in Holley Hall. At the beginning of each race, Cub Master and announcer for the Pinewood Derby Gary Russell cries out, “Racing fans, help me out! 3…2…1…GO!” Cheers erupt at the end of each race, and delighted cub scouts run wild. Fans frequent the bake sale in the back of the Hall, and energetic music is played in between each race. The hard work that is put into this event by parents, den leaders, and cub scouts can be seen everywhere. And the support of the community is overwhelming. At the end of the day, all of the cub scouts come away as winners.

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