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A longtime Boy Scout tradition continued last month in Lexington when handmade toy cars headed noisily down tracks to the cheering of young boys.
Every February Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Cub Scout Packs across the U.S. hold their annual Pinewood Derby event.
This year, Cub Scout Pack 29 had six dens participating, Lions (pre-K), Tigers (K5), Wolves (first grade), Bears (second grade), Webelos 1 (fourth grade) and Webelos 2 Arrow of Light (fifth grade).
The race was held on Wednesday evening, Feb. 15, in the fellowship hall of Grace Episcopal Church.
The pinewood cars are designed and built by each Cub Scout along with the help of a family member. The pinewood derby car kit is provided to each Cub Scout in December, and is comprised on a block of wood, four nails/axles, and four plastic wheels. The building of car and the racing competition is meant to foster Scout, family, and leader involvement, strengthening bonds and building confidence.
Winning cars from Cub Scout Pack 29 will complete at the Council level in April.
The Pinewood Derby was created by Cubmaster Donald Murphy in 1953. The rules set out for the very first race still stand today. The derby is run in heats – two to four cars starting by gravity from a standstill on a track and running down a ramp to a finish line unaided. The track is an inclined ramp with strips down the center to guide the cars. A Pinewood Derby car can reach a speed of nearly 20 mph, and if a derby car and track were enlarged to the size of a real automobile the car would be speeding at more than 200 mph.
The BSA Cub Scouts program is open to both girls and boys. Cub Scout Pack 29 is chartered by Grace Episcopal Church, and 2022 made the 60th year consecutively chartering with Grace Church.
Cub Scout Webelos 2 Scouts cross over into a Scouts BSA Troop (ages 11-17) each March. Grace Church charters two BSA Scout Troops, Troop 29 for boys, and Troop 92 for girls. Families and youth wanting to join Scouting can find more information at beascout.scouting. org.
