WEST PARIS — Steve McCann is pulling a barbecue grill on wheels out of the Downhill Derby shed in West Paris. “I light a smoke bomb and take this down the hill,” he says with a smile.

The “Anything Goes” part of Derby Day is just for adults. The rest is for kids ages 7 to 14. Everyone is welcome to race in the West Paris Downhill Derby on three Saturdays this summer – July 12, Aug. 9, and Sept. 13. If you don’t own a car McCann and his team will lend you one from the Derby’s own fleet.

“It’s a super thrill,” McCann says of the 180-foot paved course built in 1965, and marked with a center line. He’s been building and racing cars since childhood, a passion he passed on to his son, Steven McCann, who also raced but now is one of several high school volunteers. Clocked at 23 mph by an Oxford police radar gun, the younger McCann was undefeated for two straight years.

“My soapbox never went that fast,” says the elder McCann. “From point A to point B, the less you vary, the less speed you scrub. You build all your speed on the hill. Once you hit the flat, it’s about holding on to it.”

Watching his son race, he recalls, “His car looked like it was accelerating. He wasn’t slowing down – they were.”

It all comes down to time and care: checking tire pressure, cleaning bearings, and making sure everything is perfectly aligned.

When Steve was racing, his father, Richard was one of the organizers along with other parents in Town. As a child, Steve looked up to the West Paris parents who took the initiative to organize community events, whether it was the derby or team sports like baseball. About nine years ago, McCann was appointed director of the Downhill Derby, a beloved tradition held close to the heart of the town.

The derby remains intentionally unofficial to keep it accessible to all kids. “If we made it official, cars would need to be newer and more expensive,” McCann explained.

Instead, the focus is on fun, community, and basic engineering. Cars must have steering, brakes, and meet a weight limit – 200 pounds combined for car and driver at weigh-in. Helmets and closed-toe shoes are required. Tech inspection checks tires, brakes, and alignment.

For the adults, “Anything Goes,” held after lunch, wheels are allowed, motors are not and you have to be able to push your car up the hill. Steering, brakes, closed-toed shoes and a helmet are all required, but other than that, “the sky is the limit.” While McCann has come down the hill in a barbecue grill and a canoe, others have been on couches, a furnace, and a miniature swimming pool.

At a recent touch-a-truck event, a group of preschoolers asked McCann where the engine of the derby car was. He explained there is no engine – these cars run on gravity. A quick comparison to a ball rolling down a hill seemed to help. Still, the most common question was: “How do you make it go?

Last August, he and his son raced lawn mowers at Andover’s Olde Home Days. This time, Steve came in first and his son placed second – a moment when the roles were reversed.

But in West Paris, winning isn’t really the point. It’s about the joy of the hill, the spirit of the town, and a tradition that keeps rolling, one generation at a time.

On race dates, July 12, August 9, and September 13, registration starts at 9 a.m.; the race starts at 10:30 a.m. Parents, helmets and sneakers required.