Crash for Cash: It's a smash

ST. MARIES — It was hard to tell which was louder: the roar of the crowd, the roar of the engines or the crunch of each smash as drivers crashed for cash.

"Just crash,” Scott Main of St. Maries said, explaining the allure of Paul Bunyan Days' Saturday demolition derby. The annual festivities, put on by the largest city in Benewah County, also offer the colorful, enthusiastic Labor Day parade Monday morning at 10. Festivities continue today with the St. Maries Paul Bunyan Days Auction on the lower field at St. Maries City Park at 10 a.m., logging events starting at 1 p.m., registration at noon and ground-display fireworks at 7 p.m. with the main show at 9.

“That was a deal with my son, he always loved them when he was little so we just started going," Main said. "It’s definitely a redneck thing, for sure.”

Main has lived in St. Maries for six years and has always missed the Crash for Cash Demolition Derby, but not this year. He and his family were some of the first at the Benewah County Fairgrounds to set up camping chairs and grab front-row seats.

“We figured we better get here early to get a good spot,” he said.

This was the seventh year for the Crash for Cash Demolition Derby, where a dozen beastly rides played real-life bumper cars in the dusty arena.

It was slow-going at first — a clip or two here, a sideswipe there. The momentum exponentially ramped up as more cars entered the ring, especially when 16-year-olds Spencer Strange, driving a Suburban "Batman," and Amie Strange, driving a pickup truck "Sharkie," faced off.

The Batmobile lost a wheel, but Sharkie got away — minus a fin or two.

“It’s just an adrenaline rush,” said Tom O'Neill, 16, of Kingston. Crash for Cash was his third since he began derby-driving last year.

“There’s nothing better than being able to hit somebody and not get in trouble," he said with a smashing smile.

Tom drove a black-and-purple Chrysler Cordoba with a prominent saw blade fixed.

“I try to give something for little kids to see and be happy about,” he said. “It’s different.”

Destruction derbies are in the O'Neill DNA. Tom's dad, J.B., helped him build his derby car. J.B. also won the Crash for Cash in 2017.

“I had to do a head-on with my brother to win it,” he said, laughing.

“It’s the rush,” he said. “You hit hard and mess people up and not get in trouble.”

The O'Neills have more demo derby plans in the very near future. They said they'll be heading to compete for a $10,000 prize at a derby in Montana directly after Crash for Cash.

“We’re going to go wipe these cars out, load this up and haul ass to Plains,” J.B. said with a grin.

The top prize at Crash for Cash was $1,200. No. 22T, Cory Thorne, won the derby by smashing his way to success and backing up onto the competition, a move that drove the crowd wild. Kent Hill, No. 17K, came in second place followed by No. K96 Chad Weeks in third.

Proceeds from the show go into a general Paul Bunyan Days fund that is distributed back to the community to programs and entities including the Elks, the Eagles, Distinguished Young Women and more. It also provides four $500 college scholarships to students each year.

"Everybody’s always been pleased," Crash for Cash co-chair Raymond Hossfeld said. "The whole grandstands, they're always cheering. We try to get all the spectators involved, throwing out shirts, keep the momentum going between the heats. We try to put on a good show."

For longtime St. Maries resident Stacie Flowers, Paul Bunyan Days is a family tradition.

"I was born and raised here, so I’ve been around Paul Bunyan Days just about as long as it’s been around," she said.

It's a time to celebrate the small St. Maries community, as well as the industry that built it.

“It’s about our loggers,” Flowers said.