The 2014 Summer Sizzler is less than three months away and, as always, one of the premier events will be the JCI's Demolition Derby. Rain or shine, hundreds of people will pack the stands to watch beat-up old hunks of junk smash into each other; at least one of the cars will stall and smoke and everyone will love it.
"It's going well, this is one of the better organized years," said Graham Hall, external vice-president of the Humboldt JCI and one of the derby's organizers for this year. "The committee is coming together now, so there won't be any last minute planning. Most of the important decisions were made in the last week or so, so everything is pretty much finalized."
For those who come out to the derby on June 21, much will be the same as in years past - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Hall said - but there will be some small changes, among them the reintroduction of the raffle derby car. Spectators will be able to buy a ticket for a draw, and the lucky winner will compete in the derby with a car supplied by the organizers.
As in years past there will be four- and eight-cylinder classes with an entry fee of $75. The first heats will start at 4 p.m. and there will be a $1500 prize for the winner. Last year the derby started at 3 p.m., but Hall said that was a bit too early.
"Lots of people work on Saturday but don't get off until five," he said. "If you miss two hours of the derby you probably won't come at all. If you only miss one hour you'll still come."
Hall said there would also be some form of entertainment at the intermission, though what exactly that would be isn't clear yet.
This year will mark the 43rd annual demolition derby. It's a tradition that has its roots in the early 1970s with a man named Geoff Lockhart, who brought the idea to Murray Hergott, at that time the president of the local JCI. (Lockhart was out of town and could not be reached for comment.) At that time the derby was a stand-alone event and not part of the Summer Sizzler.
"The reception for it was fairly good," Hergott said of that first year. "I don't imagine we thought it would last this long. We hoped it would go over well enough to continue doing it. After the first one we decided to do it again and it became an annual thing."
Even in those early years the derby was held at the same exhibition grounds that house it now. Then, as now, there were different drivers from year to year. In fact, even Hergott himself got behind the wheel at one point.
"I had the privilege" - and here he stopped and laughed - "of driving and lasted five seconds. I got hit once and that was that."
For over 40 years, the demolition derby has followed a simple formula for success, and there's no reason to think things will change anytime soon.
"It's just good old-fashioned country fun," Hall said.
"It turned out to be an excellent idea," Hergott added.
Excellent, indeed.
