Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
The massive rain that Craig County had experienced prevented many parents from bringing their kids and their lawnmowers to the Fairgrounds Saturday for their derby competition.
It is said that kids need ‘outlets’ for all their energy and for many kids this was their first ‘outing’ since March when the Covid mandates were made.
Craig County supplies the perfect avenue for many of them, a youth lawnmower demolition derby, which was held on August 22. And, what kid doesn’t want to play in the mud with their parent permissions?!
Though the ring was filled with inches of mud, three brave young drivers showed up.
Before the derby began, emcee Sammy Huffman asked them if they were still going to hit one another, though they were all good friends. They all shook their heads with an affirmative yes and a big grin.
Three brave kids mounted their lawnmowers and drove into the muddiest ring they had ever driven in.
They were: Will Huffman on his D & C Excavating Mean Green Machine – 3, Holley Givens – sporting her ‘Cowabunga’ white machine, and Carter Givens driving his Junk Yard Dog highlighted in bright green.
It started raining on them as soon as they entered the ring, but it did not seem to faze any of them, each with their determined stare.
Huffman gave them the ‘go’ and they did not hesitate as each starting ramming.
They kept driving their mowers into one another, determined to be deemed the winner.
They had a little traction problem in the deep mud.
Huffman announced, “Oh, that was a big hit by Hollie into the rear end of Will.”
Will and Carter went head to head trying to see who could push who through the mud.
Hollie had some traction problems, so she got a little help as she would try to jump up and down to regain her traction. “Jump on it Hollie, it’ll go, it’ll go!” Huffman announced.
They would get hung up together, but were assisted in getting released, and kept on hitting.
“Good hit by Carter Givens!” Huffman said.
Will drove around and gave one back to Carter with a big grin. “Oh, What a good hit by Huffman!” Huffman said.
“At least Carter got the speed up!” Huffman announced. “Oh, Hollie tried to get to Carter and missed him as he turned.”
Then Will followed and missed him also.
Still, even with the thick mud, they were making some good hits.
Carter then came back and hit Hollie and Will with one hit. He drove around and then hit again.
Ethan Brown tried to help push Hollie and almost ended up head first in the mud himself. “Don’t fall Ethan, but everybody will laugh if you do!” Huffman said over the speaker.
“Open that throttle up!” Huffman called out to them.
Mud covered their tires four inches thick as well as Will’s face.
Huffman called the derby saying, “I think they are all three winners today, toughing it out in all that mud!”
Spectators gave them all a huge hand clap and hoots and hollers as they went out of the muddy pit.
All three came out smiling and laughing.
Parents are encouraged to fix their child a power wheels or lawnmower and enter in the next derby scheduled the day of the “normal” date for the Craig County’s Fall Festival on Saturday October 10.
