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SUNNY Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, June 4, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2002 Ashland Middle School sixth-grader Dane Shewman drives his American eagle car past spectators along Winburn Way during the Art Car Derby in Lithia Park on Sunday afternoon. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman In this derby, it’s style that counts The race goes to the original, not the swift in Ashland’s art car project By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — The Indy 500 this was not. When the winning car is topped with the sculpted head of Scooby Doo, and when the runners-up include entrants decked out like an eagle, a butterfly, a shark and a cucumber, you know it’s no ordinary race. But that didn’t deter the enthusiasm of the 300 or so spectators, the 18 teenage drivers and the dozens of organizers of the first-ever Art Car Derby held Sunday afternoon in Lithia Park. They whooped and cheered like die-hard NASCAR fans for the soap-box-derby-turned-community-art-project, where the real victories came before the races down Winburn Way even began. "The kids have been working so hard on this, they don’t even realize something huge is happening," said organizer Sharon Dvora, an Ashland Middle School art teacher. For months now, students, teachers, parents, community volunteers and business sponsors have worked together to create an event aimed at proving that grass-roots art is accessible and fun. Together, they produced the spectacle that stood at the starting line near the park’s upper duck pond. There were 10 8-foot cars, all in a row. They started with identical chassis, courtesy of the Ashland High woodshop program. The results, however, were anything but identical. There was the car with the head of an eagle and the car with the head of Scooby Doo. There was the one shaped like a cucumber, complete with curling vine behind, and the one tricked out like a firecracker. One glittering vehicle sported a butterfly’s head and wings. Another was decked with the silver fins of a shark, while another undulated with waves of papier-m�ch�. They were the entries representing about 180 middle-school kids, who each made 8-inch models of their ideal cars, then held an all-school vote to pick which ones would be constructed for real. "They were designed not for aerodynamics, but for artistic �lan," said Richard Seidman, a volunteer publicist for the project. That couldn’t be said for two serious entries fashioned by Ashland high students set on completing senior projects. Slick and fast, they were built for speed. "We had to lube up the wheels and smooth out the axles," said senior Tyler Coch, 17, who worked with Joshua Dunn, also 17, to create the red-and- white rig sponsored by Ace Hardware. Racers in the double elimination competition rolled at speeds of up to 20 mph down the gentle grade of the park’s central thoroughfare. Practice races had yielded at least one crash, so all drivers sported helmets ranging from snowboard lids to motorcycle gear. "It’s exciting but safe," said Dvora. And she was right. Spectators ranging from moms and dads to baby siblings, clapped and cheered as the cars careened across the finish line. "Scooby Doo’s two for two!" one excited watcher cheered. And, in fact, the Scooby Doo car, piloted by sixth-graders Kyle Kohlman and Nathaniel Hamel, topped the field, pulling out a surprise victory over the seemingly sleeker vehicles made by the high-school kids. Up for grabs were dozens of gold- and silver-painted trophies — also art projects — fashioned from soda cans, cardboard, glitter and cartoon figurines. The enthusiasm of participants and spectators pleased Dvora, whose innovative art program will likely be pared back, along with her hours next year, because of anticipated budget cuts. "I would like to make a statement about supporting arts in the schools," she said. "We hope to do this again on a bigger scale and have other schools join us." Next year, perhaps, the project will grow beyond the 10 cars and $3,000 budget. "I have this idea of community based art education, that students are at the core of the community and that their creativity is being celebrated," Dvora said. That, she said, puts everyone in the winner’s circle. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S