Derby

It was more than glorified batting practice. It was a display of power. One by one, about 40 of the area's top hitters came to the plate with a common goal -- grip it and rip it. But it wasn't just about hitting a ball hundreds of feet. It was about lending a hand to a U.S. Marine Corps unit thousands of miles away. It was the Hub City Home Run Derby held Saturday night at Municipal Stadium. The event was sponsored by Softballshow.com and the City of Hagerstown's Recreation Department, as well as regional businesses.

No matter the age, athletes are considered kids who have never grown up. Softball players are no different. In fact, there is a lot of little boy still lingering inside many of the big boys. That's the aura that will bring some of softball's heaviest hitters to Hagerstown's Municipal Stadium on Saturday for the Greene Turtle/Softball Show.com Home Run Derby. “We hear a lot of guys say they never got a chance to play in a real stadium when they were younger,” said Hub City Softball president Doug Levine, who is organizing the second annual event.

Week of Feb. 15, 1954 High school junior Mac Davis, who works for a local men's clothing store, started a fad that took on citywide coverage when his boss suggested that he would sell a large shipment of felt derby hats at below cost just to get rid of them. Mac administered a few blows to the crown, turning the derby into a passable pork-pie - a style popular with college students - and then carefully circulated the rumor that the store had pork-pies in all colors, marked down to 98 cents each.

It was unscripted rural theater. Saturday's auction of the inventory, local history and nostalgia of the five-generation W.H. Knode's Sons Southern States Farm Supply store brought bidders in droves. Early on, the store's customers were farmers who brought their grain in for grinding into feed or to pick up machinery and supplies. More recently, it has been suburbanites who bought lawn and garden supplies as the store's inventory changed to serve more homeowners than farmers.

Don't forget the indoor Soap Box Derby competition is Saturday and Sunday at the Stanley B. Fulton Complex, off West Main Street. Races begin at 9 a.m. each day. Competitors from surrounding states will join local youths in racing. For more information, call Scott Fox at 301-678-6613. Youth dance Hancock in Motion will sponsor a St. Patrick's dance for youth in grades six to 10 at the Hancock Community Center Saturday, March 19, from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and free soft drinks, and snacks will be provided.

Norwalk Soap Box Derby is accepting applications the Saturday, June 9, race in Martinsburg, W.Va. Applications can be picked up at Maxlock Locksmith Service 45 Meadow Lane or Martinsburg Parks and Rec. Registration deadline is Saturday, March 31. For more information, contact Dina Edwards at 304-261-5396, wvdeedoo@aol .com or through the derby's Facebook page.

Cub Scout Pack 17 met Jan. 22 at United Methodist Church in Williamsport for the annual Pinewood Derby. The winners were, Logan Adkins, first place; Tyler Adkins, second place; John Paul Felder, third place; Christian Aldridge, fourth place; James Davis, fifth place; and Matt Boger, sportsmanship winner. Pack 17 is chartered by Williamsport United Methodist Church. For more information about Pack 17, call 301-223-8489

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Chambersburg hosted a derby of its own this weekend, but there weren't any jockeys, high-strung horses or speed records involved. The Chambersburg Noontime Lions Club registered 1,500 people for its 13th annual trout derby, which was held Saturday and Sunday. The turnout set a record, with 200 more people fishing in the Conococheague Creek than in a typical year. Proceeds totaling more than $20,000 will be used for various charitable opportunities in the community, according to John Nogle, the trout derby's chairman.

Antoinette Schill's polka-dotted race car is headed for Akron, Ohio, then to a museum after its winning run down a South Queen Street hill in Saturday's Norwalk Soap Box Derby. Andrea Edwards won first place in the super stock (230 pounds including car and driver) competition. Schill won in the stock class (200 pounds). Natalee Unger, 10, got new wheels for her car this year and hoped they would give her an edge. Last year, she lost to derby winner Tyler Duke, who, she said, "beat me by four-hundredths of a second.