Pinewood Derby tears up the track at NCCC

WINSTED — It was all about racing thrills and high speed at the annual Pinewood Derby held by local Cub Scout Pack 27 at Northwest Central Community College’s Greenwoods Hall on Saturday, Jan. 28.The race is a Cub Scout tradition that was started in 1953 and has been passed along for many generations.To participate in the race, a Cub Scout must make a derby car out of a block of pine, four plastic wheels and four nails.The car itself can be designed in any way but it must not exceed 5 ounces in weight.The cars are all raced, three at a time, on a specially designed wooden track. The non-motorized vehicles employ gravity and aerodynamics to compete against each other in races that take just a few seconds to complete.At Saturday’s event, Cub Scouts designed their cars in a variety of colorful ways.Some looked like race cars, while others resembled classic hot rods.One scout designed his car to look like the “General Lee” from the old “Dukes of Hazzard” TV show, while another made his up to look like a Winchester Police Department car.Organizer Jim Savanella said the Winsted Cub Scout pack has been holding their Pinewood Derby races “since forever”.“These races teach scouts about teamwork,” Savanella said. “Usually, parents help their children build the cars, which makes this into a family event. It also teaches them to respect their fellow participants.”Cubmaster Donovan Brown said there are plenty of tricks to making a Pinewood Derby car go fast.“It’s all about putting weight in the back,” Brown said. “We have a good pack where lots of parents help out and are willing to participate.In the end, Howard Mastroberti was named champion with the fastest Pinewood Derby car.“What’s my secret? My dad helped me!” Howard said.Overall results: first place, Howard Mastroberti; second Place, Hunter Rego; third place, Augustus Pac.Howard’s Pinewood Derby car had the fastest lap time of 2.497 seconds, while Hunter’s Pinewood Derby car’s fastest time was 2.522 seconds. Augustus’ Pinewood Derby car had the fastest lap time of 2.520 seconds. While Augustus’s car had a faster lap time than Hunter’s car, Cubmaster Donovan Brown said the winners were determined by averaging the lap time between three separate races.Tigers class: first place, Ewan Oakes Rogers; second place, Heru Dihaan; third place, Cece Mumia.Wolves class: first place, Cole Brown; second place, James LaRosa; third place, Eric Denning. Bears class: first place, Connor Rego; second place, Aaron Webb; third place, Jayden Blais.Weblos I class: first place, Howard Mastroberti; second place, Nathan Sterry; third place, Gregory Odowd.Weblos II class: first place, Hunter Rego; second place, Augustus Pac; third place, Donovan Brown.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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