The Kanza District, Quivira Council Boy Scouts of America held its annual District Pinewood Derby on Sunday, April 7 at the First Presbyterian Church in Great Bend with over 200 Scouts and their families in attendance.
The District Pinewood Derby is an annual Cub Scouts event. Since 1953, Cub Scouts across America have been designing, building, painting, and racing their Pinewood Derby Cars in local, district, and council level races.
“The event is a chance for siblings, parents, and guardians to bond with their Scouts and take pride in racing it against other Scouts,” .” said by Arvin Fontarum, Kanza District Executive.  “Both the youth and adults find the competition fun and exciting.”
The Cub Scout is given a block of wood made of pine with two notches for wheels, four plastic wheels and four nails. The finished car must use all nine pieces, and cannot exceed five ounces in weight, 7 inches in length and 2.75 inches in width. Other than these basic design rules, the Cub Scout can carve and decorate the car as he desires. Finished cars typically vary from simple blocks to whimsical objects to accurate depictions of real cars.
Scouts and families from Greensburg, Pratt, St. John, Larned, La Crosse, Ellinwood and Hoisington all came to Great Bend to represent their individual units and compete for the District level event. During the race, cars zoomed at speeds of over 200 miles per hour based on the time and distance that they performed on the track. Tiger Cub, Wolf, Bear and Webelos Scouts witnessed how their Pinewood Derby cars flied down the track against the other Scouts from the District.  The top three winners from each den who finished with the fastest time will represent the Kanza District at the Annual Council Pinewood Derby on April 20 during the Council’s Encampment event - the single largest gathering of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Teams and Venturers in Quivira Council. The event will be held at the Hutchinson State Fairground.
Members, leaders, and adult volunteers of Pack 157 in Great Bend hosted and organized this year’s event.