West Columbia’s Kinetic Derby Day, featuring iMAGINE STEAM Festival, is this Saturday, April 20, 2024. Below is everything an attendee needs to know to enjoy an action-packed day in the City of West Columbia’s River District.

Schedule of Events

10:30 AM: Cartoon-themed Kinetic Sculpture Parade kicks off at Brookland UMC and heads toward State and Meeting Streets to round the corner passing the iMAGINE STEAM Festival on State Street.

11 AM: All Areas Open & SOAPBOX RACING BEGINS on Meeting Street!

11:30 AM – 1 PM: Side-by-Side Soapbox Racing, Ages 8 to Adult

1 – 1:30 PM: While waiting on the track to change, enjoy the chalk artists creating on the corner of Meeting and State, the Meeting Street Artisan Market, shop in the local stores, eat in local restaurants and with the food trucks, take a ride on the Giant Slide or hop on the Trackless Train. The iMAGINE STEAM Festival brings a hands-on STEAM Festival to State Street. Make sure to check it out.

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: The Obstacle Course brings on the fun! Participants will test their builds and get dirty with obstacles, pedal-powered cars, and ramps. This is a single-car, timed event. Cars start on the Whetzel’s Automotive push ramp, slide through First Community Bank’s green Jell-O Explosion, hit Savage Craft’s Foam Surprise, get soaked by PASCO’s Water Works, and end up in the corn.

3 PM – Awards Ceremony on Savage Craft Ale Works’ Stage and stay for the after party!

Where: State and Meeting Streets, West Columbia, SC

Parking (Map included below):

• FREE Public Parking Garage – 310 Court Avenue
• River District Baptist Church – 400 State Street
• The Warehouse – 312 State Street
• Interactive Art Park – 425 Meeting Street
• Carraway Park – 212 Hudson Street
• Capitol Square – 483 Sunset Boulevard

• When: Saturday, April 20, 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM
• What to Bring: Chair, Hat, Sunscreen, & a “Show Us Your Grit” Attitude!
• What does the day include?

Kinetic Derby Day featuring iMAGINE STEAM

• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness Cartoon-Themed Kinetic Sculpture Parade
• Soapbox Racing
• House of Raeford Start Line
• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness Finish Line
• Obstacle Racing
• First Community Bank’s Color Explosion
• Savage Craft Ale Works’ Foam Surprise
• PASCO’s Water Works
• Giant Slide for Adults and Kids
• Trackless Train
• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness iMAGINE STEAM Festival on State Street

Igniting a passion for science, technology, arts, engineering, and math (STEAM) in PreK-12 students. This free family event features hands-on exhibits, experiments, and activities led by companies, schools, and nonprofits. Held alongside the Kinetic Derby Day, it’s a day of discovery, adventure, and learning for all ages!

• ASME University of South Carolina
• MEBA
• Webgyrlz Code
• Vision Builder Adventures
• Sylvan Learning Center
• Suzuki Academy of Columbia
• Summit Academy SC
• STEM For Kids
• SC ORS – Energy Office
• SC Military Museum
• Richland County Master Gardener Association
• Million Women Mentors – SC
• Midlands Technical College-School of STEM
• Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Inc.
• Michigan Tech Mind Trekkers
• Mathnasium of Lexington
• Center for Polymers for a Circular Economy
• Look For The Power
• Lexington Technology Center
• LeafGuard
• Joshua Drake, CENTURY 21 803 Realty
• IT-oLogy
• iMAGINE on the Move
• Habitat for Humanity Central South Carolina
• FIRST South Carolina
• EdVenture
• Clemson Creative Inquiry: 3D Anatomy Puzzles
• Clemson – American Society of Biomechanics
• Claflin University
• Claflin University
• WeCoSTEAME

Meeting Street Artisan Market

For a boutique shopping experience, mingle with the makers who are as unique as their creations.

• 22 Memory Lane
• Kelly Bryant Art
• Travezia11
• The Mindful Steps Series
• The Brees Knees Crystal Emporium
• Symphony of Aromas
• Sandyspotteryshop
• Nerd Bear Soap
• Love You Loaves
• Laura’s Cookie Jar
• KaliKreates
• Art from the Hollow
• Dot and Sue Designs
• Cute Country Coasters
• Craig’s Gumbo Churn
• Chika Paper Studio
• Cheryl Reynolds Art
• Charles Hite Photographic Art
• bully bowtique
• Bubba’s Bird Dog Art
• Wandering Woods

Food Options

• Savage Craft Ale Works
• D’s Wings
• The Hideout in WeCo
• Café Strudel
• Breakfast at Ruiz
• Another Broken Egg
• WECO Bottle & Biergarten
• Always Original Bakery
• Brain Freeze Fair Desserts
• Phantom Chicken
• The Haute Dog Lady
• The Sugar Mamas
• Truly Scrumptious Creamery
• The Savage Craft Food Truck

Chalk Artists sponsored by Carolina Law Group

• Alan Pearsall Art & Design
• Andrew the Rose Artist
• Art Official Business, LLC
• Creative Faces
• Joel Cothran
• Master Joel Nathan
• Michael Krajewski
• Ryan C McClendon
• Shaina’s Art

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands Kids’ Zone

• Kids Soapbox Racing
• Traditional soapbox racing returns to take over Meeting and State Streets. Kids who are too young to compete can still participate in the Kids’ Zone with American Soapbox car exhibition racing.
• Inflatable Obstacle Course
• STEAM Crafts
• Whether you want to paint a car to take home or learn how steering and axles work, there will be plenty of hands-on activities.
• Dunking Booth
• Enjoy dunking some of the Boys & Girls Club’s finest in the first-ever dunking booth at Kinetic Derby Day!

Thank you to the festival sponsors & partners!

Sponsors

• House of Raeford – Start Line
• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness – Finish Line
• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness – iMAGINE STEAM Festival
• AFLAC – Community Sponsor
• The Carolina Law Group – Chalk Art
• Cayce’s Best Afterschool & Summer Camp – Kinetic Sculpture Parade
• NAI Columbia – Cash Prizes
• Westinghouse – LED Screen Sponsor
• First Community Bank – Jell-O Explosion Obstacle
• PASCO – Palmetto Automatic Sprinkler Company – Water Works Obstacle
• Savage Craft Ale Works – Foam Surprise Obstacle
• Savage Craft Ale Works – Stage
• The Graphics Source – Signs
• Security Federal Bank – Pit Crew
• Professional Printers – Printing
• Whetzel’s Automotive – Push Ramp for Obstacles
• Something Borrowed Wedding & Party Rentals – Tent
• Horse & Garden ACE Hardware – Hay Bale Sponsor
• Partners
• Brookland United Methodist Church
• Boys & Girls Club – Kids’ Zone
• McAlister Smith Funeral & Cremation
• River District Baptist Church
• WXRY 99.3 FM – Columbia’s Independent Alternative
• Giles Brothers Insurance

• iMAGINE STEAM
• Faithful Marketing & Events

Looking for more info or want more info to participate next year? Go to www.kineticderbyday.com.

​About Kinetic Derby Day

The mission of Kinetic Derby Day is to inspire creative problem-solving, nurture community pride, and showcase our thriving community, open to economic growth and investment. We’re here to spark imaginative thinking and cultivate problem-solving skills, turning ideas into reality. www.kineticderbyday.com

About iMAGINE

iMAGINE is a program of South Carolina’s Coalition for Mathematics & Science (SCCMS) at Clemson University. Its mission is to create meaningful experiences that promote a culture of lifelong learning and professional growth with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), innovation, and entrepreneurial activity in South Carolina. For more information visit https://www.imaginesteamsc.org/ or contact Dallas Thomas at [email protected].