Sparta Cub Scouts hold 2006 Pinewood Derby

Sparta - Sparta Cub Scout Pack 295 held its annual Pinewood Derby on Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Annex Gym at the Helen Morgan School. The derby is a long-running scouting event in which each participant is given a “derby kit” containing all the materials needed to build a basic car from a block of wood. Then the cutting, carving, sanding, painting and customizing begins. Each scout lets their imagination run free with the many accessories available for the cars. Race day begins with the official weigh in: All cars must be 5 oz. or less. Available for last minute weight adjustments are an assortment of screws, washers and putty. Officer William Moyle of the Sparta Police Dept. officiated at the weigh in and also participated in judging the cars, along with Sparta Mayor Ailish Hambel and Councilman James Henderson. Each car was raced four times and the average of the overall totals were used to determine the winner. In the timed categories, third place went to Eddie Seugling, whose Blue Turbo Car had a time of 2.46950. Second was William Fowler, whose Red #76 car had a time of 2.46550. Winning first place with the fastest car for the third year in a row was Kyle Deleu, whose Yankees Car had a time of 2.46075. The “Best Looking” car trophy was awarded to Chris Curran for his Red, White and Blue racer. “Most Original” car was awarded to Peter Vallario for his Monster car. Connor Smetana, with his “Wipe-Out Surfer” car, received the trophy for “Most Work Done by a Scout.” Pack 295 expressed thanks to David Melucci, assistant principal at Helen Morgan, for the use of the Annex Gym, and to the school’s custodial staff for helping with the set-up and clean up.