NUTLEYJOURNAL ESSEXNEWSDAILY.COM
MARCH 2022
VOL. 36 NO. 29
Caring teen Nutley Cub Scouts host Pinewood Derby donates
— See Page 2
Legion buys cookies
— See Page 4
Bowlers roll to titles!
— See Page 18
By Amanda Valentovic Staff Writer A year-long pandemic delay and then two more weeks of bad weather prevented Nutley’s Cub Scout Pack 141 from racing their cars in the annual Pinewood Derby in person for a long time, but on Feb. 4 Scouts and families gathered at John H. Walker Middle School to crown the winners of the annual race. Milo Reyes’ car sped down the track at 155.87 mph to take first place, while Carter Teese and Dorian Modrzejewski followed close behind to take second and third places, respectively. “If there’s one event that Cub Scouts remember, it’s the derby,” pack Chairperson Walt Smith said in an interview with the Nutley Journal at the event. “I talk to guys who are in their 40s now, and, if they were a Scout, it always comes up.” Assistant Cubmaster Jessica Barone said that the pandemic forced last year’s derby to be held virtually, with a few Scout leaders in the Nutley Freemasons Lodge sending the cars down the track and livestreaming it to the Scouts and their families at home. The in-person event, where Scouts get to see their cars compete in front of them and look at how everyone else decorated them, is much more exciting. “We were able to run the derby and stream it last year, but this is a lot more fun,” she said in an interview with the Nutley Journal at the event. “They work really hard to make their cars awesome, so it’s fun to see them.” The Pinewood Derby cars are made from a block of wood with four wheels, and each participant can decorate it to look like anything he wants as long as it weighs 5 ounces or less. The goal is to make it move down the track the fastest, and cars compete four at a time in 64 heats to determine the top three fastest cars. Awards are also given to the cars determined to be the funniest, best in show and the one that has the most Scout spirit. See AFTER, Page 10
Photos Courtesy of Walt Smith
Above, Tiger Cubs attend their first derby, joined by Cubmaster Matt Barone. Below, from left, are pack Chairperson Walt Smith; winners Dorian Modrzejewski, Milo Reyes and Carter Teese; and Cubmaster Matt Barone.