In 2011, Cub Scout Pack 116 will celebrate 60 years of service to the Seal Beach community.
The signature event for the local Cub Scouting year is its annual Pinewood Derby car race.
The next Pinewood Derby will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Marina Center in Seal Beach.
It is privileged to have Bill Ayers as the guest of honor.
This year the scouts will inaugurate a brand new racetrack and have more than 50 Cub Scouts competing for top honors.
The Cub Scout Pinewood Derby originated in 1953 in nearby Manhattan Beach.
This will be the 58th year that Cub Scouts get to create their own incredible racecars out of a 7-inch block of soft pinewood.
This event is a real slice of Americana right here in “Mayberry by the Sea.”
No doubt many readers are past Pinewood Derby veterans who probably don’t remember who won or lost the race, but do remember the time spent with a parent or friend, designing and building their racers.
As parents and adult leaders, derby organizers say they try to emphasize this to our Cub Scouts, along with “old fashioned” values like respect, sportsmanship, teamwork and fair competition.
Just yesterday
This year there will also be a separate Pinewood Derby race for “Big Kids.”
Parents of Cub Scouts, siblings and their guests can purchase an official racecar kit at Knock Knock Toy Shop on Main Street.
There is a $10 entry fee for “Big Kids,” and winners will receive gift certificates donated by Knock Knock, Z Pizza and other local merchants.
This year the scouts collected canned goods for the Harvest Food Bank, sent “care” packages to U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, helped with Save Our Beach cleanup, helped McGaugh Elementary School clean up after the Carnival fundraiser, participated in the Christmas Parade and even sang Christmas Carols for merchants and patrons on Main Street.
In addition to these community service projects, the Cub Scouts have gone hiking, camping, go-carting, ice skating, bowling, star gazing and enjoyed family pot-luck picnics at the beach.
The public is invited to race on the Pinewood Derby track at the annual Seal Beach Classic Car Show on Saturday April 30, 2011.
Car kits can be purchased at Knock Knock Toy Shop on Main Street, Seal Beach.
If you are interested in joining Cub Scout Pack 116, come visit the scouts near the Pinewood Derby track at the Seal Beach Classic Car Show.
