The Whitecourt & Area RC Club had cabin fever on Saturday

The Cabin Fever Winter Crawl was held on Saturday, February 18 at Make My Fun Toys & Hobbies in downtown Whitecourt. The yearly event combines an RC crawl through the massive indoor obstacle course and a Show & Shine.

The course has been a labour of love for store owners, Travis and Tawnya Ferris, as they continually add to it, change things, and develop the space to accompany more additions. One of the most recent pieces added in was a water feature which helps bring a more realistic look and feel to the set.

Hosted by both the hobby store and the Whitecourt & Area RC Club, the Winter Crawl was well attended with nine RCs in the crawl competition and 24 in the Show & Shine portion. After votes from all who attended, the overwhelming winner was Kelly Gunderson who won Public Favourite, Most Scale, and tied Travis Ferris for the top spot in the Most Unique category.

Kelly has been involved in RCs since the 80’s and even displayed two of his first remote-controlled vehicles. He said he was surprised to hear he won. “It’s a bit of a shock,” said Kelly with a big smile, moments after he was told he won, “there was a lot of good competition here today.”

The large indoor crawler course set up inside Make My Fun is a big hit for those who enjoy the hobby, Kelly included. “It’s fantastic. It’s awesome for the town. We need stuff like this to get people into different sports and hobbies.” Winners in the Winter Crawl competition were Wyatt Coulter (first place), Maddox Ferris, and Aaron Munro in the 2.2 class and Travis Ferris (first place), Ricky Vassberg and Bill Walsh in the 1.9 class.

“There’s a lot more interest,” said Tawnya, referring to the growth they have seen in the RC club since their store opened and the course was put to use. “It was a community effort to put it together. People come in and give ideas and everybody’s input is great.” Several businesses have helped as well. “Adrenaline Powersports donated a snow machine track that was turned into a bumpy bridge and Flasha Contracting donated lots of rocks as well,” said Tawnya.

The RC Club has Crawler Night on Thursdays at the downtown store, indoor carpet racing every Tuesday night at St. Joseph Hall from 6:30 to 11 p.m., outdoor tracks in the summer, and group outings utilizing area trails.  Those interested in a membership with the local club which includes a discount at the store and getting involved with the many events can call 780-778-5911.