The second annual Lake Ridge Community Church Rocket Derby had 40 rocketeers and approximately 70 spectators on Sept. 19.
“All in all, it was a smashing success, we were so happy that we could put on the event,” said Lake Ridge Community Church Pastor, Evan Dewald.
The Lake Ridge Community Church chose to continue with the Rocket Derby instead of the Soap Box Car Race as it was easier to keep families safe and distanced while following COVID-19 regulations.
“It was good to see people outside having fun and visiting. We had some pretty fun rockets, some that worked and went really high and some that didn’t, which for kids that’s disappointing, but it’s pretty excited when a parachute doesn’t open or a rocket doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do,” Dewald said.
Adding, “For me, the best part is that these kids have worked with their parents or grandparents and built the rocket, and they are so proud of their rockets, and they are really excited to see if it’s going to work.”
Dewald believes the Lake Ridge Community Church team achieved the objective of that Rocket Derby, which was to create a positive activity for youth to do with their family and their community.
There were several returning youth from last year’s event, some brought the same rocket they had last year with modifications, while others built brand new rockets.
“Generally, a lot of folks were very grateful that the event took place,” Dewald said.
After the Rocket Derby, parents thanked the team for creating an event that their children could participate in.
“This is one of the events that we are going to continue to do that we hope will bring a sense of positivity to our city. We want to create positive events that promote community in our city, this one was for kids and families,” Dewald said.
“We’re going to keep doing that, creating the positive events in our city is really important right now especially during COVID-19, there are so many opportunities to be fearful and to be negative right now, we can do our best to be positive and encourage people to see each other as humans,” he said.
Without the support of families, and a Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) grant, the Rocket Derby wouldn’t have been possible.
“We were really grateful, we received an FCSS grant, we were thankful for the financial assistance that they provided,” Dewald said.
