by Jessyca Cardinell
The finale of the Gouverneur and St. Lawrence County Fair – the Demolition Derby – draws a huge crowd to the grandstands. This year was certainly no exception as it was a packed house, filled with fans ready to root on their favorite drivers.
Before the event began, youngsters driving their power wheels lined up and had their own little derby. An adorable and fun sight for everyone attending to enjoy. Each child receiving a medal for their participation and great efforts.
It was then time for the official start to the annual Demolition Derby.
Derby cars in each heat lined up ready for the action to begin. As the flag waved signaling the start, the drivers pushed the throttle to the max, crashing into each other at full force. Smoke filled the air, as the cars were demolished one by one. Many were disabled and had to call it quits, until there was only one left still moving, being named the winner of the heat.
As the heats went on, tensions of rivals heated up and the fans went wild with enthusiasm. As with all derbies, safety is the biggest priority. Gouverneur Volunteer Fire Department was on hand to extinguish any possible fires that could occur. Also on hand were the Gouverneur Police Department and the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.
In the end, Gouverneur’s own Mike Blair (a previous winner of the Derby) was named the winner of the event… earning him $1,200 and the Bub Durham Memorial Trophy to take home.
The second place winner was Jeff Trapp of Gouverneur. He won a $600 cash prize and the Kenneth Sawyer Memorial Trophy.
Mandigo Auto Care in Gouverneur donated $200 in prizes with $120 going to the first-place winner, and $80 going to the second-place winner.
The 2019 Feature: Heat 1 (Tyler Bates, Matt LaRock and Spring Derby Winner Chris Ames), Heat 2 (Mike Blair and Cody Durham), Heat 3 (Donnie Scovil and Mike Smith), Heat 3 (Mike Walsh and Mike Durham), Heat 5 (Jeff Trapp and Drake Matthews), Heat 6 (Marcus Reeves and Mike Blair), Heat 7 (Brad Law and Mike Law), Heat 8 (Dave Blair, Jr. and Danielle Law), Heat 9 (Pat Murphy and Danielle Law), Heat 10 (Zack Travis and Jeff Trapp), Heat 11 (Allen Aldridge and Matt Brothers), Heat 12 (Chris Brothers and Mike Durham), Heat 13 (Adam Dean and JP Phillips), and Consolation Heat (Austin Smith and Dustin Snyder). The Powder Puff Winner was Sheri Harmer.
Congratulations to this year’s derby winners and all those who were able to take the win for their heat, an impressive feat.
