Mendham Cub Scouts Thrilled at the 2017 Pinewood Derby

Mendham’s Pack 133 Cub Scouts held their annual Pinewood Derby at the Mendham Township Middle School on Saturday January 21, 2017. Parents and siblings joined the fun and cheered the boys as the cars raced to the finish line. It was a record turnout with 60 scouts participating in the most highly anticipated event of the year.

Cubmaster Jack Kiefer emceed the event and revved up the crowd at an event that always proves a great opportunity for scouts and family to come together. Mendham Township Mayor Diana Orban Brown was on hand to wish the boys luck. She also took the opportunity to invite scouts and their families to the next Township committee meeting and encouraged them to get involved in the community.

The cars begin as a simple block of wood with plastic wheels, and nails for axles. With some creativity and imagination, Scouts transform the block into their own fine-tuned speed racer while learning skills of design, wood carving, sanding and painting. After the race, parents share trade secrets that they believe helped their son edge the competition, while remaining within the rules and specifications of the Pinewood Derby.

Trophies were awarded for both speed and creativity. The three fastest cars in each rank receive trophies with each car racing in four heats. The times were recorded and averaged and the finalists from each rank were entered into a championship race to determine the overall Pack winner.

The Scouts with the top 5 fastest cars were awarded trophies. They were Mitchell Wood, 5th; Karl Maurer, 4th; Drew Gannon, 3rd; TJ Shaw, 2nd; and Michael Oliveri, 1st. Tiger scout Will Morris won the prestigious Cubmaster’s Award for best overall car, and 11 other awards we presented for creativity.

The Pack would like to thank Boy Scouts from Troops 1 and 150, who were on hand to assist with setting up the track, and Mendham Township Middle School for providing a superb venue to host the event.

Mendham Cub Scouts

Mendham's Cub Scout Pack 133 is an active pack comprised of boys in 1st through 5th grade. Pack meetings are held once a month on Fridays in Fellowship Hall at Hilltop House at 14 Hilltop Rd, Mendham, NJ. Make a difference in your community! Join Pack 133! To learn more visit www.mendhampack133.org or email info@mendhampack133.org.