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Wilmore is finally preparing for its first significant spring event: the Jim Edd Sheerer Coaster Car Derby. This year’s derby will be the town’s ninth year of holding the event.

On Saturday, April 27, Main Street will be closed to real cars so city volunteers can create the derby race track in downtown. “Although these cars are not homemade, they do provide a day of nostalgia and fun as we watch the young drivers race down E. Main from the Post Office to the front of the old city hall building,” said Judy Woolums, Executive Director of the Wilmore Community Development Board. 

The event is free to attend and participate in, but the kid racers must be at least seven years old. There is no age limit, but a size limit exists since the cars are so small. The people’s registration table will take children’s heights to see if they’ll safely fit in the cars. 

The trial run will begin at 11 a.m., and the actual race will start at 1 p.m. This event’s rain date is Saturday, May 18. 

Woolums wants to ensure that those attending the event understand that the opportunity to participate in the race and ride depends on the availability of coaster cars.

“I want to stress one thing. Even though we take registration, there’s no fee, and parents are encouraged to register their children. Registration does not guarantee participation, and the reason for this is some of these coaster car owners already have secured a driver, maybe somebody in their family or their own child or neighbor. There are other coaster cars who come, and they haven’t got anybody, so we start pulling the ones who first got on the registration form. There was just a little bit of confusion about that last year. We’ve been cautioning people– it’s on the newsletter and on the application,” Woolums said.

Downtown shops will be open in addition to several downtown restaurants: Los Altos Mexican Restaurant, Solomon’s Porch, Drinkling’s Coffee, Subway, Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, and Cakes by Bebe, which has “delicious and uniquely-flavored cupcakes,” according to Woolums. A food truck called Lilly’s Pad, which specializes in Americana-type food, will also be coming.