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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
4th Annual
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Update
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Returning in support of the Auto Show for the fourth year, the "Summernationals" Pinewood Derby will again be run on Gualala Arts' state-of-the-art aluminum racetrack complete with computerized time, speed and results display. Make this part of your
Auto Show
experience by building your own Pinewood Derby car, and make the competition interesting by having all your family members build one, too!
Youth and those young at heart will be able to design and build their very own custom car to race. Classifications include 8 and under, 9 to 12, 13 to 18, 18 years and older, Vintage and Unlimited for racing. There will be racing trophies awarded for 1st place and 2nd place in each classification. All cars will race a minimum of 4 races within a heat, running once on each lane of the track. The winning cars in each classification will be the cars with the two lowest total elapsed times for all races they complete. One Best Time Overall trophy will be awarded to the car with the lowest total elapsed time among all classifications except Vintage and Unlimited. All entries in each class will also be judged for their artistic execution, and each class will have a Most Artistic award presented to one entry. There will also be an overall Most Artistic award presented to a single car regardless of class. All racers will receive participation medallions.
The Vintage class is open to racers of any age, but cars must have been built prior to January 2014 or be a previous Gualala Arts Pinewood Derby entry. New this year is the Unlimited class, which allows entrants to build their racecars without using the standard Pinewood Derby kit. Most of the rules for dimensions remain the same, so that the cars can run the track, but Unlimited cars - both the cars and their wheels - can be made of any material the entrant wants to use (i.e. metal, ceramic, wood, combinations, etc.) and have a higher weight limit. Vintage and Unlimited classes will not be eligible for the Best Time Overall trophy.
Registrations will be accepted any time up to 11:00 a.m. the day of the races, but you are encouraged to enter early. Cars must pass inspection to qualify for the race. Check in and inspection is Saturday, July 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Races start at 11:30 a.m. and will be run by classification.
For the first time the racetrack will be available prior to race day for racers to test and fine tune their cars. Racers can bring their cars to the Gualala Arts Center on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, July 16 through 18 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and run their cars on the track. Volunteers will be on hand to perform inspections on the cars to insure that they will qualify for the races, and to help with tuning the cars for maximum performance. Admission to the testing is free.
Registration forms
are available online and at the Gualala Arts Center; registration cost is $5 per car. Purchase your official Boy Scouts of America car kit at the Gualala Arts Center for just $5 including tax, from any Scouts headquarters or online from various websites that offer official kits. It will consist of a block of pine, plastic wheels, metal axles and decals.
Download the Summernationals Pinewood Derby registration form or pick one up at Gualala Arts Center. Submit your application ASAP as registrations are accepted as space permits.
Another new feature of this year's event will be the opportunity for any racer to leave their race car at the Arts Center to be included in the Automobilia fine art exhibit on display from July 4 through August 3 in the Gualala Arts Center Jacob Foyer. Any race car left at the exhibit will be displayed through August 3 and will be eligible for a "People's Choice" award for favorite Pinewood Derby car. 1st Place and 2nd Place awards will be given, with 1st Place receiving a ribbon and a $25 cash prize and 2nd Place receiving a ribbon and a $10 cash prize. Entrants will need to pick up their race cars between August 4 and August 11 at the Gualala Arts Center.
Previous Pinewood Derbys
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The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email
info@gualalaarts.org.
Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.