Young demo drivers take the stage
The young drivers in the Youth Power Wheels Demo Derby take a lap around the rodeo arena following their balloon fight. Mackenzie Cafferty, whose children are seen leading the group, said the event was a great opportunity for them to get out and drive around with other children their age.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
One of the riders in the Youth Power Wheels Demo speeds his way back toward the action in his John Deere mower-style Power Wheels. Moses Lake Demo Derby organizer Aaron Schrodt said while it can be difficult to organize a group of children in an event like this, it’s important that the drivers have a fun time.
Two young derby drivers collide in the Youth Power Wheels Demo. The goal for the drivers was to pop the balloons strapped to the front of their rides.
A young girl watches some of the other demo drivers from her decorated pink Power Wheels.
The father of two boys drags his sons in their Power Wheels out of the arena following the Youth Power Wheels Demo. Some of the vehicles had some trouble getting through the mud.
A young girl in her Minnie Mouse-themed Power Wheels receives a trophy from Miss Coulee City Last Stand Rodeo Eryne Anderson after the Youth Power Wheels Demo concluded.
MOSES LAKE — Day two of the Moses Lake Demo Derby kicked off with a special exhibition, the Youth Power Wheels Demo, just before the main event.
“They love it,” said Mackenzie Cafferty, whose children participated in the event. “They don’t get to run into things at home, so it’s better for them to come out and run into other kids and have a good time.”
Cafferty said she got her two children, Wesley and Hadley, involved in the Power Wheels Demo Derby through her father, Stan Cafferty, who’s on the board of directors with Moses Lake Roundup and is heavily involved in the events that take place at the Grant County Fair. She said she enjoys having her children involved and staying with the family traditions.
The Power Wheels Demo had a driver weight limit of 60 pounds dressed and allowed up to two riders per car. The riders gathered around to try and pop each other’s balloons and then drove a lap around the arena before each receiving trophies and T-shirts from Miss Moses Lake Roundup Kaylee Stump.
Moses Lake Demo Derby organizer Aaron Schrodt said the event went very well again this year. He said everyone involved did a great job keeping things organized and that the youth drivers enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the main stage of the fair and compete.
“It’s always an adventure to try to herd a bunch of little kids on Power wheels on the main stage of the fair,” Schrodt said. “I feel like most of them had fun and that’s all that matters.”
The main goal for the event is for families from the crowd at the demo derby to get their younger children to participate in the action, he said.
“It’s not too often you get to be a little kid and be out in the middle of the arena and to maybe spark the next generation of demo drivers,” he said.
Schrodt said that the event has a limit of 25 drivers and that spots fill up fast when the event comes up. Families looking to get their children registered for future Power Wheels Demo events can sign up on the Moses Lake Roundup website when organizers begin preparing for the event next year.
One of the riders in the Youth Power Wheels Demo speeds his way back toward the action in his John Deere mower-style Power Wheels. Moses Lake Demo Derby organizer Aaron Schrodt said while it can be difficult to organize a group of children in an event like this, it’s important that the drivers have a fun time.
Two young derby drivers collide in the Youth Power Wheels Demo. The goal for the drivers was to pop the balloons strapped to the front of their rides.
A young girl watches some of the other demo drivers from her decorated pink Power Wheels.
The father of two boys drags his sons in their Power Wheels out of the arena following the Youth Power Wheels Demo. Some of the vehicles had some trouble getting through the mud.
A young girl in her Minnie Mouse-themed Power Wheels receives a trophy from Miss Coulee City Last Stand Rodeo Eryne Anderson after the Youth Power Wheels Demo concluded.