Get ready for the next exciting installment of Family Fun Fest

Cub Scouts, start your engines! You can enter your Pinewood Derby car to compete in the National Pinewood Derby 500 at Texas Motor Speedway!

The big race will be Sept. 12, and you can watch it online as part of the BSA’s second installment of Family Fun Fest. The three-hour Facebook Live extravaganza will be jam-packed with cool demonstrations, interviews and giveaways. If you missed the first installment on Aug. 8, you can watch it here.

Not only will the upcoming event include exciting Pinewood Derby races, but you’ll also learn how to yo-yo, craft a Snap Ships spacecraft toy, make a constellation projector, build an archery quiver, construct a birdhouse and create slime. Who doesn’t love slime? The free online event will also feature an interview with an astronaut about his time in space and giveaways from the Scout Shop. You can RSVP on Facebook or sign up for email updates. Registering is one way to win prizes that will be given away every half-hour Sept. 12, starting at 11 a.m. ET.

Invite your friends and families not currently in Scouting — they can join in the fun while seeing what Cub Scouting is all about.

Let’s race!

If you want to race against cars from across the country in the Pinewood Derby 500, get your wooden wonder in the mail soon. The BSA needs to receive your car at the National Service Center by Sept. 8. Only the first 500 registered cars received will race. Do not send cars with sentimental value! They will not be returned. After racing at Texas Motor Speedway, your car will be used as a fun gift for Scouting volunteers and staff, so feel free to send a hand-written thank you note with the car.

Check out this page for the rules on building and registering your car. To enter, you must first register, build your car, take a photo of it and post it to the BSA Facebook page with the hashtag #Pinewood500, write your registration number and first name on the bottom of the car, carefully pack your car with a copy of the registration form and mail it to:

Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
Irving, TX 75039
Attn: Pinewood Derby Open

Cars will be raced in preliminaries before the finals being broadcast as part of Family Fun Fest. You can also post a photo of your car on Instagram using the #Pinewood500 hashtag to enter a design competition.

Awesome day of fun

Cub Scouts serve their communities. They can still serve virtually. Family Fun Fest will have an opportunity to support our nation’s teachers through AdoptAClassroom.org, a nonprofit organization that funds classrooms and schools. You can give to the organization and youth can write a letter to teachers.

Youth will have plenty of fun crafts to create during Family Fun Fest. They can also learn to build a Snap Ships spacecraft toy. Check this page for a list of supplies, so you can Be Prepared for the big day.

As mentioned earlier, you will have multiple chances to win prizes, including $200 Scout Shop gift cards, Pinewood Derby bundles, hammocks, backpacks, portable batteries, tents and more. You can win by RSVPing on Facebook, tuning in the day of or by completing this Adventure Log, taking a photo of it and posting it on social media with the hashtag #famfunfest.


About Michael Freeman 432 Articles
Michael Freeman, an Eagle Scout, is an associate editor of Scout Life and Scouting magazines.