West Columbia’s Kinetic Derby Day, featuring iMAGINE STEAM Festival, is this Saturday, April 22, 2023. 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 AM – 80s 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. Bring your tailgating chair and set up to watch the shows on Meeting Street
• 10:30 AM – 11 AM – Kids’ Zone opens and the chalk artists begin. SOAPBOX RACING BEGINS on Meeting Street with over 50 racers!
• 12:30 PM – The track changes… new this year with obstacles and ramps! 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 COVID corn/grits.
• 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 food trucks, or take a ride on Brookland’s Giant Slide on the corner of State and Meeting Streets. We have partnered with iMAGINE STEAM Festival to bring a hands-on STEAM Festival to State Street. Make sure to check it out.
• 1 PM – 2 PM – The Obstacle Course brings on the fun! Participants will test their builds and get dirty with the new obstacles, pedal-powered cars, and ramps. This is a single-car, timed event.
• 2:30 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 22, 10 AM – 3 PM

What to Bring: Chair, Sunscreen, & a “Show Us Your Grit” Attitude!

What does the day include?

Kinetic Derby Day featuring iMAGINE STEAM

Dynamic Kids After School & Summer Camp 80s Themed Kinetic Sculpture Parade

Soapbox Racing

• House of Raeford Start Line
• TNT Martial Arts & Fitness Finish Line

Obstacle Racing

• First Community Bank’s Jell-O Explosion
• Savage Craft Ale Works’ Foam Surprise
• Pasco’s Water Works

Brookland SC Giant Slide for Adults and Kids

Aflac iMAGINE STEAM Festival on State Street

• EdVenture
• Columbia Art Center
• Haering Precision
• Lexington Technology Center
• Claflin University-Mathematics & Computer Science Department
• South Carolina Military Museum
• Midlands Education and Business
• Alliance (MEBA)
• IT-oLogy
• FIRST South Carolina
• South Carolina Artists
• Girls Who Code
• FIRST SC
• Vision Builder Adventures
• Million Women Mentors – SC
• The Children’s Museum of the Upstate
• SC Energy Office – Office of Regulatory Staff
• Code Ninjas Lexington
• STEM For Kids
• Pittsburgh Institution of Aeronautics
• Girl Scouts Troop 3395
• Look for the Power LL
• Tesla – Including 1 Self-Driving Test Car
• The Blissful Hippie
• Alpha Omega Epsilon
• Mathnasium of Lexington
• Verizon

Meeting Street Artisan Market

• 22 Memory Lane LLC
• B.MAC Bakeshop
• Benji Hicks Art
• Blu Jim Fine Art
• Brickhouse Gourmet Coffee and Tea Company
• Brown Bear Soaps and Naturals
• bully bowtique
• City of West Columbia (Merchandise) and Information Tent
• Da-Tastes Ice
• Emerald’s Artistry
• Faithful Foods Inc.
• KLJ Custom Designs
• Kristin Holzer Art
• Maman Afrique Boutique
• Mrs. K’s Kreations
• Sealine Soap Company
• Sudsy Dreams
• Tickled Pink Jewelry
• Tiny Folds Origami
• WalkerStix

Food Options

• Savage Craft Ale Works
• D’s Wings
• The Hideout in WeCo
• Café Strudel
• Breakfast at Ruiz
• Always Original Bakery
• Kona Ice
• Haute Dog Lady
• Cox Family BBQ
• Tacos Oink Oink

Chalk Artists sponsored by Cayce’s Best After School & Summer Camp

• Michael Krajewski
• Kristin Holzer
• Kate Batten
• Alan Pearsall

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands Kids’ Zone

• Kids Soapbox Racing
  • Traditional soapbox racing returns to take over Meeting and State Streets. Kids that are too young to compete can still participate in the Kids’ Zone with an American Soapbox car.
• Inflatable Obstacle Course
  • Kids can also have fun with an 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
• Aflac – iMAGINE STEAM Festival
• Brookland SC – Fun Slide
• Cayce’s Best After School & Summer Camp – Chalk Art
• Dynamite Kids After School & Summer Camp – Kinetic Sculpture Parade
• NAI Columbia – Cash Prize
• The Sourcing Group – Mailer Marketing
• First Community Bank – Jell-O Explosion Obstacle
• PASCO – Palmetto Automatic Sprinkler Company – Water Works Obstacle
• Savage Craft Ale Works – Foam Surprise Obstacle
• The Carolina Law Group – Stage
• The Graphics Source – Signs
• Security Federal Bank – Pit Crew
• Pedego Electric Bikes – West Columbia – Community Pride
• Professional Printers – Printing
• Whetzel’s Automotive – Push Ramp
• Something Borrowed Wedding & Party Rentals – Tent
• Thompson Funeral Homes – Community Pride Sponsor
• Hood Construction – Community Pride 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

West Columbia’s Kinetic Derby Day, featuring iMAGINE STEAM Festival is Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 AM – 3 PM. This year, the return of the Kinetic Sculpture Parade will kick off the day, followed by soapbox racing, obstacle course racing, and the iMAGINE STEAM Festival on State Street throughout the day. As always, the event spurs creative thinking, competition, and family fun as teams come together to build unusual vehicles and awe-inspiring art installations. To register to build, race, volunteer, or be a vendor, and join in the fun, visit www.kineticderbyday.com.

The iMAGINE STEAM Festival on State features interactive exhibits emphasizing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) to ignite the interests of Pre-K through 12th-grade students (and their families) in STEAM subjects by giving them exposure to STEAM careers, skilled trades jobs, and education pathways. The Kids’ Zone, presented by the Boys and Girls Club, will host an exhibition soapbox racing for the little ones.

At the bottom of the hill, a food truck rally hosts festivalgoers for a bite to eat, and West Columbia’s Interactive Art Park houses the Meeting Street Artisan Market for some unique shopping. At the corner of Meeting and State Streets, a giant slide will be sure to bring a crowd. The businesses in the River District will also be open for shopping and dining.

For more information, to volunteer, register a team, or become a vendor, visit www.kineticderbyday.com.     

The mission of Kinetic Derby Day is to inspire creative problem-solving, build community pride, and showcase our growing community welcoming economic investment. The event intends to inspire creative thinkers and help develop problem-solving skills to construct imagined ideas. For more information, visit 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].