VFW Pinewood Derby Held

The VFW Buster Deo Post 4067 held a day to honor one of its' own, Dusty Prestwich, with a pinewood derby, on Saturday, May 18th. The family of Dusty, including his son, Chet, mother and step-dad, Cori and Ric Lamb, and the Lamb's, including Jalen, Janina, Landon, Jaden, Sophia, and Annaliya.

VFW members and officers, Derek Oshio, Michael Kelsey, and Jim Layton were the committee delegated to manage the event.

Thirty-four pinewood cars created by the young and (not so young) elderly.

The creations started arriving at 11 a.m., which gave the owner time, if necessary, to add weight or slender those models until the maximum weight was .5 oz., which is the original weight of the packaged cars. The actual race was set for 2 p.m., and the racing was completed by about 5 p.m. The entries drew a nice crowd that was able to witness the event.

Race car enthusiasts poured their efforts and talents into the 2-3/4 inches by 7 inches pinewood with the hopes of forging the sleekest and most accelerated model to cross the finish line. The aluminum track was borrowed from the local Boy Scouts, complete with finishing lights which indicated the order in which the cars crossed the line. Each car ran in heats, the lanes were changed each time and by elimination, a winner was determined.

This event didn't just happen overnight...not by a long shot. Some of the derby die-hard had not only spent months sanding, carving, and detailing their model, some had a history with their model. Some of the models that raced were brought out of boxes in the closets, high on a shelf, wrapped in newspaper or tissues to protect them. The time had come, semi-retirement was over.

As one might guess, there were those that entered that took racing seriously. There were those that spent not only hours and months getting details just right and making sure the graphite was added, there were some that invested financially in the sport.

Some were experienced competitors, while this was the first go-around for others. The competitors ranged in age from two to 72, one of the few sports with such a variation in age.

And while it was fun to race, the purpose remained..that is, to remember Dusty Prestwich. Young Chet was given the honor of assisting with the drawing of names for door prizes and did a mighty fine job at it! The VFW had a nice array of door prizes for guests and competitors.

With his car, "Trust in God," Ashton Weston was the first place winner. Dale Kaasa, who had several cars entered, took second place with "Silver Bullet," and claimed third with "Grand Prix." His racing days go back over several decades, nearly as many as John Demarais, who ended up with an "also ran" distinction. The "Hard Luck" car was owned by Chet Prestwich, and Dale Kaasa's "Bow Tie" won the honor of "Last." The "Best in Show" was awarded to Charlee Anderson for her creative paint pallet car.

The lucky winner of the 50/50 drawing was Jaden Lamb and Tyson Jones was the winner of the gun case.

There was no "dust" to settle, as things began to wind down, and the reality set in, that not every car was a winner, despite the precision handcrafted work of art that went into it.

But...there is always next year. Plans for a derby in 2025 is already in the planning stages. If you have some ideas or input on the derby, even with possible dates that would work for most, or would like to assist in some manner, contact the VFW or any of the VFW members mentioned above.