Local Cub Scouts are off to the races in annual Pinewood Derby

Thirty members from Laguna Beach Cub Scout Pack 35 raced cars they built out of wood during the group’s annual Pinewood Derby at Laguna Presbyterian Church on Tuesday.

Each Scout received a kit from the Boy Scouts of America that included a block of pinewood, nails and plastic wheels. Each child built his own car, which couldn’t exceed 5 ounces.

Kids, ages 6 to 10 years old, raced cars along inclined tracks, powered only by gravity.

Contest organizers were not sure when the event started in Laguna, but the national Scout program established Pinewood Derby races in 1955.