Northwoods Experience: Cub Scouts Feel the Thrill of the Race at Bemidji Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby was first introduced to the Cub Scouts in 1953 by Don Murphy, a Cubmaster in California. Earlier this month in Bemidji, the Cub Scouts of the Voyageurs Area Council celebrated the 70th anniversary of the derby.

“[It’s] an event for Cub Scouts grades K through 5. It’s a yearly event that we have,” explained Brad Olson, Voyageurs Area Council Scout Executive. “So it’s fun for the kids to come together. They all made their cars up to five ounces and they’re here today at Dondelinger GM racing their cars down the track.”

And the Scouts in attendance come from all over the area.

“There’s kids here from Bemidji. We’ve got kids from Grand Rapids, we’ve got kids from Blackduck,” said Olson. “I think there’s even a Scout here from International Falls as well.”

The Cub Scouts take a simple block of wood and, by following a set of rules and guidelines given by the Scout Leaders, turn it into a finished car ready to hit the track.

“The event is really working with their parents to design the car, make it, paint the car, make it look like they want it to, so it’s a good family activity,” added Olson. “And then it’s fun to get together with a bunch of kids in a social setting for them, with their peers, to come race and see how well their creation has come to life. There’s some trophies for the kids at the end, and so it’s a fun day for them. I know my kids are excited to race today too.”

These kids got very creative with their cars, where their creations included a tank-like machine, a vehicle shaped like the Pokémon Pikachu, and a car with Barbie (or in this case, Barbie’s head) in the driver’s seat. It was hard to pin down a favorite among the Cub Scouts.

In events like the Pinewood Derby, the spirit of competition pushes us all to win. While not everyone at the event experiences the sweet taste of victory, those who do will remember the feeling for years to come.

“It feels pretty good,” said Matthew, a first place winner of the Pinewood Derby. “I’ve been doing Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts for a couple of years. It’s just always nice to come out here and join them in the Open Class division. When I was younger, I won the Cub Scout division and it was just, it’s like the best feeling ever.”

But it’s more important that everyone had fun along the way.

“The event was pretty crazy,” said one young Cub Scout. “[There were] a lot of other cars, but it was pretty fun.”

“It actually was pretty great ’cause they were just so excited,” said Cub Scout volunteer Addelyn. “They were like, ‘Aah! My car won!’ I just looked over and the kids were smiling.

“It was very fun doing this,” added another Cub Scout. “And for all the people who put this together, thank you.”

The Boy Scouts of America are holding their next merit badge day on April 6, so where they’ll be able to obtain up to seven different merit badges.