Home Depot aids Scouts to cut pinewood derby cars

GENEVA – Jacob Kleckner stood in line at Geneva's Home Depot on Friday, waiting for his block of wood to be cut into a suitable pinewood derby racing car.

The 9-year-old third-grader at Wasco Elementary School in Campton Hills was one of about 50 Boy Scouts – and a handful of Daisy Girl Scouts – at the store for its offer of cutting the wood blocks into cars on its saws.

Home Depot partnered with Scout parents to host the "Mom & Me" night of carving to help the scouts of the Three Fires Council in St. Charles with their pinewood derby cars for upcoming competitions.

“It’s a wonderful thing, because a lot of the families don’t have the tools at home in order to cut out the design that they need,” said Jacob’s mother, Heidi Kleckner. “It comes as a solid block and it’s very difficult. If you had to sand it down to the design you wanted, it would take you a very long time.”

Once it is rough-cut, the children take their cars home to be sanded, she said.

“You really want to sand it until it’s really smooth,” Kleckner said. “And then you’ll paint it and you can put decals on it or any kind of accessories.”

Other parents echoed Kleckner’s sentiments about the store’s assistance.

“This is a great thing,” said Corrine Dattomo of West Chicago, whose son Stevie, 11, would have his car cut. “Because if you’re a mom who has to do it yourself, this is a huge help. I don’t have the tools or anything to know how to build a car.”

Jeremy Schultz of Aurora, with his sons Quinton, 7, and Kai, 10, said it was a great help to have Home Depot handle the cutting.

“From a dad’s perspective, it gives us an opportunity to work with the boys,” Schultz said. “It gives them the opportunity to build something they’re proud of. They can race and develop some of the competition skills they need to be successful in life.”

But the most important part of getting the cars cut, said Bridget Cooper of Warrenville, is “because they need to win the race.”

“It’s nice that Home Depot is helping us cut them,” Cooper said, “because I sure don’t know how to do it.”