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STEUBENVILLE -- The 2020 Boy Scouts of America Two Chiefs District's Pinewood Derby is fast approaching this weekend with the potential to involve as many as 14 area Cub Scout packs and as many as 150 racers.
It unfolds at the Fort Steuben Mall's center court beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
All Cub Scouts -- Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear and first- and second-year Webelos -- may participate in the derby, even if they didn't win in their pack races. The entry fee is $5 if received by today. It is $8 afterward, but names and fees must be received by Joe Kovaleski, longtime derby chairman, by Friday in order to participate.
Kovaleski can be contacted by phone at (740) 632-7500. Registration names also can be e-mailed to him at josephkovaleski@sbcglobal.net. Checks can be made out to Joe Kovaleski and mailed or dropped off at 167 Rosslyn Blvd., Steubenville OH 43952
Trophies will be awarded to the final six winners. Derby patches are given to every racer, and race ribbons are awarded to the heat winners.
Last year's winners were: First place, Jack Lawson, Pack 39, New Cumberland; second place, Christian Twigg, Pack 141,Toronto; third place, Abram Koos, Pack 415, Wintersville; fourth place, Wyatt Doan, Pack 415, Wintersville; fifth place, Christian Briggs, Pack 41, Toronto; and sixth place, Harley Roski, Pack 146, Dillonvale.
The Two Chiefs District, Ohio River Valley Council, encompasses Brooke and Hancock counties in West Virginia and Jefferson and Harrison counties in Ohio. It covers from New Manchester on the West Virginia side down to Bethany and on the Ohio side from Wellsville, the farthest north, down into Martins Ferry.
Saturday's event gets started at 9 a.m. and can continue as late at 5 p.m.
Last year's derby included the participation of girls, a first for the local event. The female presence is a reflection of what's part of a bigger picture as the Boy Scouts of America announced in October 2017 that it will be fully inclusive for girls for the first time in its more than 100-year history.
Overall, the derby involves an age range spanning from kindergarten through age 11.
While the actual derby race is Saturday, the Family Pinewood Derby races are a night-before attraction. Again this year there will be two family races on Friday, beginning at 6 p.m. at the mall. It is for 11-year-old and older registered Boy Scout, Explorer, Adult Scouter or a family member of a Scout in the Two Chiefs District of the Ohio River Valley Council.
The entry fee is $5 per participant per race (stock/hot rod) at the registration location, or registration can be done the night of the race. No late fees will be charged, but participants are encouraged to register early.
The first family race will consist of cars built following all of the regular Cub Scout rules.
The second race will be the hot rod class in which speed wheels, axles, etc., are permitted. Anyone can enter the second race for an additional $5 fee. Trophies will be presented to the final six winners in both races.
Last year's family race stock class winners were: Andrew Lamp, Troop 334 in Weirton, first place; Naythan Golden, Crew 777 in Weirton, second place; Hailey Doan, Pack 415 in Wintersville, third place; Matthew Barnes, Pack 415 in Wintersville, fourth place; Karen Hill, Troop 415 in Wintersville, fifth place; and Theresa Lamp, Troop 334 in Weirton, sixth place.
Last year's family race hot rod class winners were: Ed Hill, Troop 415 in Wintersville, first place; Joe Kovaleski, district committee, Steubenville, second place; Suzan Kovaleski, district committee, Steubenville, third place; Karen Hill, Troop 415, Wintersville, fourth place; Chuck Shifflett, Troop 737, Wellsburg, fifth place; and Robert Kovaleski, district committee, Steubenville, sixth place.
Kovaleski said the derby is special for a number of reasons, including that it's fun and fosters camaraderie.
"It's an event where Scouts can get together as a group," he said. "It encourages boys and girls to compete on more of a low-key level," Kovaleski added, despite it being a competition, it's evidence that children be do something other than sports.
The public is welcomed and encouraged to watch either or both days' events, according to Kovaleski, who pointed out the derby also can serve as a recruiting tool for youth who may be interested in getting involved in the Scouting program.
"It brings to light Scouting events in our area and what opportunities are available for youth," he said.
The Pinewood Derby has been a local tradition for many years and used to be held at The Hub in downtown Steubenville.
Kovaleski has been involved in the Pinewood Derby since 1987 when his sons were in Scouting, becoming its chairman a few years later.