EAST HELENA — The annual Pinewood Derby is underway in East Helena. The nationwide event features local Boy Scout troops competing against themselves on who has the fastest car.
"We have Cub Scouts and adults from our scouting group that designed some cars, and they carved them, and they put weights on them and they made them amazing and we're racing all of them together, just to see who has the fastest, who has the fanciest design, all of those fun things," says Kristin Ophus, Troop 212 Cub Master.
The East Helena Boy Scouts continued their decades-long traditions having the boys carve out their car for competition, but this year’s derby had to look different compared to 2020
The 2021 Pinewood Derby was held virtually. The boys created their cars and watched the races from home via an online feed. Despite having 25 cars to race, half from 2020, Troop 212 is still proud to have technology to keep the event going.
“It's great that we have the technology that we can do this virtually,” says Greg Cejka, Troop 212 Wolf Den Leader. “I know when I was in Cub Scouts, something like this, wouldn't have been possible. So, it's just really fun that kids are able to still participate even though they can't be here personally."
