Derby

Adam Eshenour could barely wait to try out his new waders, and the 14th annual Noontime Lions Trout Derby was the perfect time to do that. Standing in the middle of Conococheague Creek at Wilson College in Chambersburg, the 10-year-old from Newville, Pa., didn't seem to mind that all of the tagged trout eluded his line. His brother Isaac, 13, joined him in the middle of the creek while their father, Dan, opted for drier land on the bank. "We're fishing in the derby," Isaac said.

Royal Rangers Outpost 258 members from Emmanuel Chapel in Smithsburg recently participated in a Pinewood Derby race. Participants included Ethan Earley, Eli Singer, Wade Flook, Maddie Peel (powder puff division), Taylor Edan, Kody Beasley, Caleb Singer, Luke Flook, Tyler McKinney and Nathaniel Laye. Caleb, Eli, Nathaniel and Maddie also attended the district regional Pinewood Derby race Feb. 19 in Winchester, Va. Wade’s car won best overall design in the Ranger Kids group and Nathaniel’s car won third place in the Expedition Rangers group.

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.

Among the creations was a sled with a simulated toilet mounted on it. Kenn Speaks had it rigged so he could sit on the toilet and read a version of “The White Tales” newspaper as he slid down the slope. Speaks slid off the mountain in his contraption, at one point going backward as he read his paper on the throne. The sled, among others like one carrying Hagerstown firefighters in a simulated firetruck, got a round of laughs Sunday afternoon from hundreds of spectators at Whitetail Resort.

Cub Scout Pack 66 held its Pinewood Derby Feb. 5 at First Christian Church. The winners were: first place, Dalton Mayhew; second place, Everest Shives; third place, Zachary Eby;  fourth place, Boden Reisinger; and fifth place, Alex Bausman. Category winners were Beau Meehan, Tyler Kenny, Ryan Wiley, Camden Casey and Hunter Hinckle.

Accompanied by the recorded sound of race cars, a foursome of 5-ounce, gravity-driven cars thundered down a 40-foot track Saturday at Northern Middle School in the Washington County District Pinewood Derby. Eighty-five Cub Scouts, the best of 22 packs, competed in the event, among them James Sword VI of Pack 8. "You have to make it super aerodynamic," Sword said of his theory on how to prevail in the derby. "I'm determined to win. " Alas, the checkered flag for the day went to Mark Grimes of Pack 103, Brandon Cole of Pack 252, Dalton Mayhew of Pack 66, Justin Siebenichen of Pack 252 and Logan Adkins of Pack 17 rounded out the top five.

Gabrielle "Gabby" Beville is going to Akron, Ohio, this summer and she's pretty happy to be going. Akron is best known for two things — tires and the All-American Soap Box Derby, and the 11-year-old from Linden, Va., has qualified to compete against the nation's finest drivers of gravity-powered racecars in July. On Saturday, Gabby and about 20 other racers competed at an indoor rally in Stanley Fulton Business Complex in Hancock sponsored by Central Maryland Soap Box Derby.

Soap Box Derby enthusiasts from around the region will have a rare opportunity to race later this month in an indoor rally. The Central Maryland Soap Box Derby, headquartered in Frederick, Md., will be sponsoring a rally in the Stanley Fulton Business Complex in Hancock on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 22 and 23, said Scott Fox, local race director for the Hancock Soap Box Derby. Volunteers have been building ramps inside the former Fleetwood travel trailer manufacturing building for the event, Fox said.

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.