KINGSTON — John Ellsworth remembers a time when kids his age would slam lawnmower wheels on “anything that would roll” and race each other down hills.

He’s not a young kid anymore, but that doesn’t stop him from racing his friends downhill, or helping others do the same.

Ellsworth is the manager of the Kingston Coaster Games — formerly Hansville Coaster Games — which will take place at the Kingston Fourth of July Celebration.

Ellsworth said the appeal of the coaster games is “the crazy fun of it.”

“It is, really. It’s an adrenalin rush,” he said.

The coaster games — non-motorized go-cart races open to anyone 6 and older — are similar to soap-box derby races, but with fewer rules, Ellsworth said.

“It’s like any other silly (thing), probably like bungee jumping,” he said.

The rules state that each cart has to have at least three wheels that are 10 inches in diameter, brakes, and a bolt with which to tow the cart back up the hill. Drivers are also required to wear gloves, shoes and helmets.

The games started six years ago in Hansville, the brain-child of Chuck “Captain Coaster” Strahm.

“Chuck, unlike many of us old guys who used to race carts downhill when we were kids, kept doing it,” Ellsworth said.

Ellsworth added that when Hansville was “looking for a community event,” Strahm stepped up to make the coaster games happen.

But now the games are moving to Kingston.

“We did it for five years (in Hansville),” Ellsworth said, “and it was starting to … show signs that we had found our audience and we were finding no more people.”

Ellsworth said that because Hansville has such a low population, there weren’t any other people to attract. Last year, he said they had only seven carts and 30-40 spectators.

Determined to keep the event around, Ellsworth emailed local festivals, hoping to attach the games to an established festival to gain a larger audience.

“The Kingston Fourth of July committee was very excited about our offer, and so we’re moving to Kingston,” Ellsworth said.

“We already have 12 carts at least, and we’ll have an audience of several hundred people and it’ll be a lot more fun.”

The racers will be split into age groups: 6-9, 10-14, 15-19, and 20 and older. There is a $15 registration fee per driver, meaning if a cart has two drivers, such as two children, Ellsworth said, it would be $30 for that one cart. However, for families entering multiple drivers and carts, entrance fees will not exceed $50.

Trophies will be given to drivers who finish first, second and third place in each category, as well as a King of the Hill trophy given to the fastest cart regardless of age group.

Ellsworth said he takes old trophies, such as those given out for baseball and soccer, and replaces the figure on top with wooden cars for the coaster game trophies.

The games, Ellsworth said, can appeal to many different people. The “regulars” in the games range from an engineer to a firefighter, and many people even dress up as characters for the event.

Ellsworth dresses up as the villainous Dr. Slime, drives the Sluggo cart and is involved in complicated rivalries with Captain Coaster, the Coho Killer, and more.

Not everyone dresses up, but it adds a bit of fun to the event.

Basically, the event appeals to anyone with “a little bit of a bent for being a little bit flamboyant for one day a year.”

“You don’t find too many people who show up to something like this that are inherently grumpy,” Ellsworth said.

This will be their first year in Kingston, but Ellsworth said the response so far from the Kingston community “has been overwhelmingly positive.”

For instance, the coaster games had a representative at the Kites over Kingston festival March 28 and businesses and Kingston “have been real excited about posting our fliers,” Ellsworth said.

He added, “They just seem really excited about making this a part of their annual holiday.”

The coaster games are already accepting pre-registrations, but people aren’t required to register ahead of time, Ellsworth said. Anyone showing up the day of the races will be able to participate. However, people will generally need to bring their own carts, and can contact Ellsworth for information about that. Volunteers are needed too. The biggest need: watchers to ensure people don’t get onto the track while races are under way. Safety is the No. 1 priority, he said.

All in all, Ellsworth said the games are something anyone can enjoy and, as a hobby, “it’s fairly inexpensive and really fun.”

To volunteer or to register, contact Ellsworth at 360-779-5382 or email theslimedr@gmail.com.