BonnerSprings.com

A Bonner Springs Cub Scout pack is turning an event unique to Scouting into the newest Tiblow Days activity.

Pack 3149 will offer a Community Pinewood Derby Aug. 25 and allow anyone, Scout or not, to enter if they pay an entry fee or buy a kit to make a car. Regina Utter, Cubmaster for the pack, said the event will serve two purposes: raising funds to cover the costs of its recently purchased derby track and increasing the pack’s outreach in the community.

Utter said the pack usually has a concession stand at Tiblow Days to raise funds, but changed its plans for this year after purchasing a new, four-lane, 42-foot plastic track.

“We wanted to get more use out of the track and to get our name out there,” she said. “It always helps to have your name out there and help more boys join Cub Scouts.”

The pack previously had used a wooden track, but it was difficult to transport and set up — each time it was assembled, the pack would have to sand down pieces to get them to fit together correctly.

The pack gave its old track to the Edwardsville pack and spent a year raising funds to purchase a new one. The new tracks are not cheap, Utter said, so it made sense to find a way to use it more often.

Utter said the idea to create an event for the community also was spurred by the conversations that inevitably arise at their derbies: former Scouts reminiscing about the Pinewood Derbies of their youth.

“I know a lot of parents and grandparents come to our events and have lots of memories to share,” she said. “That’s kind of where the community part came in.”

The event will allow anyone, boy or girl, former or current Scout, to enter. They must either purchase and make a car for $25, or they can enter an old car for the same price.

“So if grandpa has a car from way back in the 1950s when he was a Cub Scout, then he is more than welcome to enter it, as long as it meets the requirements,” Utter said.

The requirements include that it weigh no more than five ounces. For those who have never made a car or who could use a refresher, the pack will have a derby car workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 18, at Bonner Springs United Methodist Church, 425 W. Morse. Anyone can come and use the pack’s tools to help build their car, or at least get basic instructions.

The pack also is seeking business sponsorships for the event, and there will be trophies awarded in several categories, including best in show and best entry that is not a car — if, for example, the car looks like a pickle.

The pack is still working out many of the details, but watch for more in next week’s issue of The Chieftain.

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