Brothers push to put on a local Demolition Derby

When the Chamber of Commerce decided to not host their annual Demolition Derby, Bradyn Harvey called up his brother Bryce and they decided they could put on the derby themselves.

“We decided to give it a try,” said Bradyn.

Bradyn and Bryce brainstormed on how the derby was done in the past as they had helped in previous years. They told the drivers to keep building their cars.

“We decided we’re not in it to make any money. We will probably lose money. We need something in the community that will support the community,” said Bradyn.  

Bradyn went to the fairgrounds and measured the bleachers and made some calculations. The brothers decided that asking for 50% of the occupancy would be a good number to shoot for.

Bradyn contacted some people who were holding other events in the state. One of them was the Cody Nite Rodeo Board. They shared what they had to do for their requirements for the State and applications for their variance. They also shared a copy of their variance application.

An application was sent to the State for a variance and was approved to sell 903 tickets. Bradyn said he was happy with the news as they were planning on only being able to sell 250 tickets.  

The grandstands will have certain sections roped off to keep social distancing in the seating. There will also be other bleachers set up around the arena. The announcer will remind everyone periodically and often to maintain distance between groups.

They are looking at getting Porta Potties to reduce lines to the bathrooms. The bathrooms will also be cleaned every hour and a half according to their variance.

People waiting in line for concessions will also have to abide by the six-foot social distancing guidelines. Masks will be required for the staff. 

Bradyn has talked to quite a few drivers from around the state and there are some local drivers getting their vehicles ready. He also talked to some drivers in Colorado and Montana. Both cars and truck heats will be held. 

“The derby has been one of the biggest draws to town for years and with things being canceled, we’ve seen derbies all around us canceled. So, we were figuring this could be a pretty big draw. These guys have cars all over the place, built and ready to go and nowhere to take them. We figured that the restaurants, hotels, the pools, small businesses downtown would benefit from having a draw to our town. And, because the derby is historically the biggest, we decided that would be a pretty good one to try out,” said Bradyn 

They are selling tickets online through Eventbrite to make it a contactless transaction. The tickets will be on a person’s phone with a barcode without physical money changing hands. Tickets not sold online will be available at the gate.

Bradyn said he hopes to not have a long line at the gate. One idea they are exploring is to have other businesses in the town to help sell the tickets as well. 

For the prize money, there will be $3,000 for first, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third place. There is a four-foot trophy for first place, another trophy for second and a plaque for third. For the trucks, the first-place prize will be $1,000. For every 15 cars and trucks they get registered, they will add $500 to the prize. 

For people who want to purchase tickets, they can go to http://www.2020ThermopDemo-Derby.eventbrite.com

The derby will be Saturday, August 8 at 6 p.m. at HSC Fairgrounds. There are limited tickets available.

If you’re interested in being a driver, contact Bradyn Harvey at 921-0089 or e-mail thermopdemoderby@gmail.com.