Paw Paw District Fair Demolition Derby more than meets the eye

Jul. 22—RIVESVILLE — Jousts still take place but instead of knights and horses, it's derby cars slinging mud and throwing debris as part of the mayhem derby drivers unleash at one another during the Paw Paw Fair Demolition Derby.

Gasoline perfumes everything as cars grumble and roar at each other as they make their way to the pit.

It's awesome.

"A lot of people have the misconception like, oh my gosh, you get hurt," Tonya Meyers, who does ultrasound at the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute. "But when you're out on the track, the green flag drops that first hit, everything goes away. It's the best adrenaline and most fun thing you can do. It turns into an addiction."

Meyer was there to watch her husband, Andrew, duel in number 73.

The demolition derby is a mainstay of the Paw Paw District Fair. Husband and wife team Jane and Ralph Thomas have run the derby for 44 years. It got its start after Ralph Thomas became frustrated with the derbies he competed in. Lawless affairs, the playing field was far from even which left inexperienced drivers broken down about their prospects. More experienced drivers with the technical know how to put a car together typically walked away with all the prizes. That felt far from fair to Ralph Thomas.

So he and his wife started their own.

"It's important to me because each one of these drivers put a lot of time and effort into these cars," Ralph Thomas said. "And I like when they come out here and all the cars are equal. They can all come out and have fun and enjoy it. And maybe they've just got a chance as anyone to take money home."

Word of mouth got the Thomas's where they are today. Although they started with just a few county fairs, over time they've bounced all over West Virginia, even going into Virginia to host their derby. Jane Thomas said they go with stock cars for their event so that anybody from the community can throw one together and have some fun at their local fair. They try to make it as accessible as possible so that lower income families can also enjoy the sport.

"They say it works off their frustration," Jane Thomas said. "They get out there and bang on each other. And it's just a hobby."

That's a sentiment that Benny Wilson, driver of purple and green number 22, shares. He says it's a little scary at first, but that adrenaline rush kicks in and it's game on. But as great as the rush is, the other thing that draws people like Wilson is the sense of community that forms among the derby drivers. They're a tight knit group. Both Wilson and Meyers said that people in the community will help each other out between derbies.

"This community is awesome," Wilson said. "Paw Paw is one of the best derbies there is. Everybody comes together and puts on a show. Ralph, he always does what he says he's gonna do and makes sure everybody's safe out here."

For Meyers, it's a family tradition. Nearly everyone in the family drives. Their youngest, Paislyn Meyers, 9, declared with particular glee that she too will drive once she turns 10. And despite the ear-splitting roar of the engines and spectacle of vehicular combat, it's very much a family sport. Children of all ages stuck by their parents or families in the staging area where drivers made last minute checks or modifications on their cars. One person, Herbert Brimm, was there to support and hang out with his great nephew, which to him was the coolest thing about the derby that night.

There's more to the derby than crash thirsty crowds screaming their approval with each smash. Meyers said that there's a lot of different charities that compete for kids' cancer. Certain drivers are part of a team that collects money for the cause and donates hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

"It's people who judge or just will say it's a redneck sport," Meyers said. "If they'd ever experienced it or see the actual community all over, I mean, this is huge."

Good causes and a good community lie behind the physicality of the event. It's what gives it true life and allows it to persist as one of West Virginia's true pleasures on a balmy Friday evening.

And it's tempting to join the fun.

"It's a very good general adrenaline rush. It's a little scary at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's awesome," Wilson. "It's recommended to everybody. I mean, it's a good anger management sport."

Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com