By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Verbena Baptist Church is inviting the community to join in on Pinewood Derby fun on June 22.

This free event will be from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.

Coordinator Darrell Baldwin said the opportunity is open to children and adults.

“Everyone can be involved in it,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said participates will receive a car with the wheels already attached, but will be able to manipulate weight distribution to maximize speed.

“Everyone will get the same car,” Baldwin said, commenting that they are styled after the ones that race in Talladega.

Modifications and painting will be done in the morning and races will begin at 1 p.m.

“Most of the kids — they love to do it,” Baldwin said.

The races will be on a four-lane track. If there are fewer than 100 cars, each car will go down each of the four lanes once and the times will be averaged to determine a winner. Baldwin said the track is timed by a computer.

However, Baldwin said if there are more than 100 cars they will likely do double-elimination style racing, meaning if a car loses a race twice than it’s out.

A winner will also be named for best car design.

The church is providing a hot dog lunch.

“We are just doing it as an outreach to the community,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin said Verbena Baptist had hosted a similar event several years ago.

Pinewood derby is a major activity for the church’s Royal Ambassador program with their team usually competing at the state level. Baldwin said several adults are involved with the team.

This love of pinewood derby has led to a ministry hosting events at any church that would like to put on a race.

The church also does an annual derby at a camp in Talladega.

Baldwin said the key to a good, fast pinewood derby car is in having good wheels and axles with the right weight distribution.

Verbena Baptist Church is located at 197 County Road 500 in Verbena.

For more information, call 755-1725.