Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 22, 2019 Pinewood Derby spans generations of families By Mark E. Vogler I t’s been a while since Patricia Jean Deluise has been personally invested in a good Pinewood Derby race. Must have been close to three decades ago, the 67-year-old Saugus woman figured last Saturday as she sat in the basement of the Cliftondale Congregational Church, waiting to see her 5-year-old grandson, John E. Deluise IV -- also known as JJ -- a young member of Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62 compete in his first race with a bright red car. Mrs. Deluise said she still gets a kick out of the race, the way she did many years ago when her, John E. Deluise III was a Cub Scout racing cars for Saugus Pack 62. “That was a long time ago, you know. He’s going to be 37 soon,” she said. “He think he had a black one and a red one. And I think they’re both at my house. This is the first time for my grandson,” she said. Although it’s been about 30 years in between races, Mrs. Deluise said not much has changed in the values and rewards that kids back in her son’s day reaped compared today’s kids like her grandson. “I think it’s been very good for both them to get out and experiment for themselves -to learn and coordinate their abilities on how they handle themselves with other people and a group,” Mrs. Deluise said. “I’m very happy for both, and it’s been fun to watch them. John E. Deluise III and his wife Lauryn own Pride Fence of Rowley, which has a warehouse in Saugus. They are Rowley residents. But John III’s friendship with Saugus Troop 62 Scoutmaster John Kane, which goes back to Boy Scout days, prompted him to have JJ join Cub Scout Pack 62 and compete in this year’s race for the first time. “We used to spend a lot of time down here. We’re really good friends with John Kane,” Lauryn said of the Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62 scoutmaster. And Saturday, John and Lauryn Deluise were about the most popular people at Cub Scout Pack 62’s Annual Pinewood Derby. They sprung for the pizza, sandwiches, drinks and snacks that fed the crowd for over four hours. The Pinewood Derby is a scouting institution that dates back more than 60 years. And it’s a great way for bonding kids with their parents, according to John Zirpolo, an asA DERBY DEBUT: Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62 Scoutmaster John Kane checks out the car raced by JJ Deluise, 5, of Cub Scout Pack 62 in last Saturday’s annual Pinewood Derby. OPEN RACE WINNERS: Left to right, showing off their entries last Saturday in the annual Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62 Pinewood Derby are this year’s winners in the “Open Race” for adults and non-Cub Scouts: Dan Arinello, a parent, second place; Jake D’Eon, member of Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62, first place; Jennifer D’Eon, Saugus Selectman and Jake’s mom, third place; and John Zirpolo, assistant scoutmaster of Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62, fourth place. (Saugus Advocate Photos by Mark E. Vogler) THE KIDS AND THEIR CARS: The members of Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62 who competed in last Saturday’s annual Pinewood Derby admire their entries before the race begins. They are among the 22 Cubs who competed in this year’s race. The “Open Race” for adults and non-Cubs drew 16 entries. THE RACE IS ON! Billy Ferringo, of Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62, pulls the lever that begins a heat of cars that raced last Saturday morning in the basement of the Cliftondale Congregational Church during Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62’s Annual Pinewood Derby. sistant scoutmaster of Saugus Boy Scout Troop 62. “I think it’s also a great way to bring the whole Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout Pack together,” he said. “You have the older kids rooting for the younger kids and younger kids rooting for the older kids. It brings them altogether as a family,” he said. “There’s just a lot of personal bonding that goes on, especially between the fathers and sons. And I teach my son and his friends different things -some stuff from the book and some stuff that comes from TOP CUB SCOUT RACERS: Left to right, with their tropies and cars, are this year’s Pinewood Derby winners from Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62 -- Nicholas Amoroso, 9, first place; JJ Zirpolo, 10, second place; William Zrinello, 5; third place and Kevin Kennedy, 8, fourth place. personal experience,” he said. Zirpolo enjoys competing in the Open Race, for adults and non-Cub Scouts. And the kids love his style. He’s known to integrate cartoon characters with his Pinewood Derby cars. This year, he had Wile E Coyote riding dynamite on his entry. And it took fourth place. “I make something fun every year -- like Fast and Furious, Star Wars or Transformers,” Zirpolo said. “And this year, I decided to do a cartoon because I’m a big kid. I always enjoyed cartoons growing up,” he said.
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