CHARDON, Ohio — Bad weather on the East Side (aka the Snow Belt) is nothing new, but a business in Chardon is offering a fast-paced indoor escape from it all.
Hilltop RC & Hobbies, which opened last November, features an indoor track for remote control cars.
Co-owners Bill and Meghan DeBenedictis opened the facility to bring the community together and revive the hobby.
"We're trying to bring RC back," Bill DeBenedictis said. "It's been awhile since we've had anything like this in the area. We've got to do this. People have been begging for a place to race."
DeBenedictis said his passion for hobbies started around 10 years old when he received his first Lionel train. He set it up almost every year for Christmas and eventually used it to propose to his wife.
"He handmade these little signs underneath the Christmas tree that went around on the train that said 'Will you marry me?'" Meghan DeBenedictis said. "So ever since then, I was into the trains, and subsequently the cars followed suit."
The indoor track changes every couple of weeks to keep drivers engaged.
"We have it in the offroad configuration right now," Bill DeBenedictis said. "After three to four weeks we switch it to a different one and let them race on that configuration. A lot of the people who raced oval were interested in not just going fast and turning left, they wanted to turn right too."
For many, it's a chance to pass on mechanical skills to a younger generation.
"This day in age, a lot of kids are into Xbox, the internet and TikTok," DeBenedictis said. "It gets them out from in front of the TV, in front of the computer and bring them out here, learn some mechanical skills, lets them learn about general life lessons and camaraderie and mechanical things that may apply later in life."
The competitive spirit is also a draw for younger visitors.
"I want to try to beat my brother and cousins," Gianna Spada said.
Whether they are racing for the first time or returning to an old love, the track offers a space to connect.
"Try to keep it down the center and go as fast as you can," Bill DeBenedictis said. "Be consistent, that's the key. You can be as fast as anyone else out there but if you can’t do it lap after lap, it really doesn’t matter in the end."
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
