There are plenty of places to go to have fun in the area, but one that often doesn't get a lot of attention is Acme Speedway in Acme.
Acme Speedway features highly-competitive go-kart races each Saturday throughout the summer as some of the regions up-and-coming stars establish their competitive racing roots at an early age.
The track opened nearly a dozen years ago under the direction of Brown Timber. Now the ground is leased by track promoter Ken Sapic and David Brown. And he has carried on the tradition of having fun at the local dirt oval.
"It's a family atmosphere," Sapic said. "You can bring your family and have a lot of fun. It's all about fun and friendship."
Fun and friendship may be the key ingredients to a good clean family night out, but competitive racing is a nice mixture to the pot, and Acme Speedway provides it.
"A lot of the local racers at Motordrome and Jennerstown get their start here," Sapic pointed out as he noted that current star Ryan Hemphill is a former regular on the Acme circuit and is now considered to be one of the top drivers to come out of the area in quite some time. "Now a lot of new kids are coming out and that's the next generation of racers."
Of course not all of the drivers at Acme Speedway are young, or male for that matter.
"We have guys and girls that come out and race," Sapic said. "We have them as young as five years old and we've got a guy that goes out who is 73 years old."
The track features racing in seven divisions ranging from senior heavys to pee-wees.
Sapic is proud that the track attracts drivers from all over western Pennsylvania and into West Virginia, and he hopes that it will continue to gain popularity.
"I would just like to see it keep growing and gain some notoriety," Sapic said.
Action will continue at Acme Speedway this Saturday night and every Saturday until the end of September. Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps heating up at 6:30. Feature action starts at 7 p.m. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 years of age and younger.
For information, call the track phone on race day at 244-7767 or 228-7072.
