Young drivers will soon get to take their cars to the 60 foot long track through Old Town Marketplace for the third annual “Cars that Care” Pine Car Derby.
Put on by Community Cares, drivers have the opportunity this weekend to design their race car at the ArtWalk this Saturday in downtown Longmont before the race on Sept. 17. Proceeds from this event will benefit PEARL, another Longmont nonprofit that helps single parents and their dependent children.
One of PEARL’s programs that Community Cares was drawn to, according to Secretary Liz Giles, was their work to help single parents get and maintain vehicles. That bridged perfectly with a pine car derby.
“It’s like a win for the kids because they get their cars and they get to participate with other kids,” Giles said. “What our motto is, is having fun on purpose. Our purpose is to raise money for PEARL and good causes, but we’re having fun while we’re doing it.”
Community Cares is a newer nonprofit in Longmont supporting other charities and working to assist people who might be able to access other resources in the community for whatever reason.
“What we want this nonprofit to be doing is filling in the gaps in our community where people fall through the cracks,” Giles said.
At Community Cares’ ArtWalk booth on Saturday, children can design, cut, sand, paint, add wheels and adjust weight on their cars all for free — though parents can sponsor. The race track will be set up in Old Town Marketplace, so kids can also test out their cars before the official race the following weekend.
New this year is an adult/outlaw heat race for the grown ups who also want to race. While the youth/classic category has a number of rules the car must follow, the only rule for the outlaw race is that the car must be made from the original block and fit the track.
Finished cars must be ready for weigh-in starting at 10 a.m. Sept. 17 at the Old Town Marketplace at 332 Main St.
Families can sign up to race at the ArtWalk or online at communitycaresltd.org. The organization is still looking for businesses to sponsor the derby and encourage everyone to sign up to race.
“We just want to make this a really happy community thing,” Giles said.
