Fred Malotte has a suggestion for frustrated pedal-to-the-metal drivers. Buy a beater, retrofit it, slap on some paint and in a moment of crazy heroics, ram it at a demolition derby.
Malotte is chairperson for the Town of Legal’s FÄ‚Ĺžte au Village running July 26 and 27. As village festivals go, the fÄ‚Ĺžte has discovered the universal secret that keeps attracting big crowds year after year. It’s definitely the demolition derby, which last year drew a crowd of about 2,500 – almost double the town’s size.
“People like to see cars smashed up. It’s the way people have always been,” Malotte chuckles.
Part of the popularity he explains, is that large urban centres have done away with demolition derbies. It’s only smaller towns that carry on the tradition.
This year the event has 42 cars entered. They’ll be placed in seven heats.
“People have spent months working on the cars. They pick them up in junkyards, strip all the glass, strip the old fuel tank and replace it with a one-gallon tank. They also reinforce the doors.”
Each heat lasts 10 minutes. The pit is noisy and dirty with lots of roaring vehicles and flying mud. And as the engines rev up full-throttle, so do families cheering behind the fence.
“There are big families in Legal and when somebody rams a car, everybody hoots and hollers.”
The fÄ‚Ĺžte theme, Legal’s Pink Trail, is sure to prompt discussion. The Wild Pink Yonder, a charitable organization of horsemen, will be on a trail ride raising money and awareness for breast cancer. Up to 40 riders and horses will travel through the town in August.
“They ask you to be as pink as you can be and Legal jumped on because it was such a good cause,” says fÄ‚Ĺžte committee chair Carol Tremblay.
Using the tagline from a Martina McBride song, This One’s For the Girls, residents have spent the summer going pink. They’ve planted flowers, made banners, road signs, and even decorated the beer gardens with rosy ribbons.
“I hope to see pink floats in the parade and this week I even decorated a pink demo cart,” laughs Tremblay.
A second car-themed event that went over big last year was the Soap Box Derby. The derby had been a traditional element of the fÄ‚Ĺžte’s early days. But over the years, it sputtered and died.
When the fÄ‚Ĺžte’s 50th anniversary was organized last year, the festival committee focused on heritage and brought back the soapbox races – much to the delight of crowds.
In 2012, the festival received 35 entries and this year there is a limit of 50 entries. The format will have two vehicles racing against each other in a round robin series.
“All are homemade cars. They purchase a kit for wheels and a braking system and make them from scratch,” Malotte comments.
As in previous years, a mini-parade for children, baseball demonstrations, a magic show, petting zoo, and live entertainment with Oil City Sound will be hot tickets. Closing the evening is an 11 p.m. fireworks display. For more information visit www.town.legal.ab.ca/fete.php.
