Pinewood Derby is Here!

The day we have been waiting for is about to arrive! We will walk you through the Pinewood Derby with everything you need to know. Last year Pack 910 held a live-stream of the Derby so for many of the Scouts, this will be their first time attending this event in person!

Please have your scouts come to the Derby wearing their “Class A” uniform. As of this moment, masks are still required indoors. Please bring a mask.

Schedule Overview

Friday Night, March 11 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Check-in your car. Your scout’s car will need to be brought to St. Paul’s between 5:00 and 6:30 pm Friday evening. The car will be weighed to ensure it is not heavier than 5 ounces, and impounded for the night. Once it is turned in, your scout will not be able to handle it again until the race is complete. We will have a few simple tools on hand Friday night for any last minute adjustments, as well as graphite to add to the wheels if you’d like!

Saturday Morning March 12 from 9 am to 11 am
Pinewood Derby! The race will officially begin around 9:15 am after some announcements and commentary. Coffee and donuts will be provided for everyone and visitors are welcome! It’s a fun event for family to attend so bring siblings if you would like, or grandparents and family who would enjoy cheering on your scout!

Walk Me Through It – First Timer’s Guide to the Derby

Preparing for the Race
The goal is a completed car by Friday night, ready to be turned in. Most scouts got a jump start on their car at the Mixxer a week ago. Several scouts including the children of yours truly, haven’t touched their car since then! Organize these next three days:

• Today – all cutting should be complete and today is sanding day.
• Wednesday – sanding complete and it’s painting day!
• Thursday – painting complete and it’s weights day!

The completed car cannot exceed 5 ounces. Reference the Pinewood Derby rules to make sure you are within the guidelines. As close as you can get it to 5 ounces without going over, the better. The Scout Shop sells weight kits, and you can also MacGyver it by taping nickels or washers on the bottom of the car to add a little weight. Just make sure the car has 3/8 inch clearance underneath it. Have fun and let your scout be creative in pursuing their vision!

There will be prizes awarded to the fastest overall cars, and we will also run some races by den. You can help your scout prepare for a friendly competition and talk with your scout about sportsmanship. A Scout is Cheerful and a lot of the fun in the race is seeing friends do well. There will also be a design contest for scouts to cast two votes each on their favorite designs! It’s fun to see the scouts compliment one another on the cool designs, the hard work, and to take pride in what they themselves built!

The race track itself is owned by the Pack and we run a computerized timer and randomizer. All cars are randomly pitted against one another, and rotated through the three lanes of the track to eliminate any possible or perceived advantages. We race three cars at a time as a group, as well as by den.

Final Details

Please have your scout come to the Derby wearing the Class A uniform. Masks are still required indoors at St. Paul’s.

We are looking for a few volunteers to help out. I’ll be at the Church Friday at 3 pm to set up the track and if you can help out, please let me know. We could probably use one more volunteer (lifting is involved). In addition, we could use some assistance cooking the donuts Saturday morning, which involves running over to Krispy Kreme. If that’s your kind of job, please let me know. My cell is 336-413-3937.

Questions? Comments? Please advise!

Dues for the Upcoming Scouting Year

While we’ve had some stop and go with scouting this past year, we do anticipate that we can build on the momentum that we’ve begun to generate and are very excited for the 2022-2023 scouting season! March is the time where Pack 910 “re-charters” with the Old Hickory Council and registers for the upcoming scouting year. Which means that we will collect dues from each family who plans to stay involved with Pack 910.

By now you should have received an invoice from our treasurer for your dues. Please remit payment ASAP as we will process the re-charter of the Pack next week!

Here is some of the value that is included when you re-charter with Pack 910:

• A rank book, and all rank advancement
• A customized, Pack 910 t-shirt (Class B uniform) for every scout and adult
• Scout Life Magazine for each registered scout
• All the costs associated with running the Pack, and the trips that Pack 910 offers
• Camping and outings at discounted rates such as New River, Camp Raven Knob, Carolina Beach (this year), Patriot’s Point (2023), and more!
• Camping and Outings at NO COST such as Sugar Valley, the Pinewood Derby and workshop with cars included, Hiddenite gem mining, and more!

Next year we are striving to further organize the calendar with a predictable schedule to Pack and Den meetings, while continuing to offer the outings, trips, and a few bonus events like the highly successful Pinewood Derby Workshop at the Mixxer!

Thank you for your patience as we continue to build on all the great work that Pack 910 has done and continues to do! We are glad to have you as part of the family.

Still have questions about Camping?

We would be glad to hear from you. We would also like to know how we can help make your camping experience successful and welcome suggestions. Please contact Lee Danhauer or me anytime.

In Scouting,
Daniel Lobb