​Kinetic Knights hold successful Bottle Drive, help Rotary Club with roadside clean-up

The Kinetic Knights Robotics Team (FRC Team 781) has been busy since the start of its 2025-26 season, back in September.

With about 20 members and eight mentors, the team is focusing on fund-raising and sponsorship, and providing tool-training, through to January when the challenge is announced and the team concentrates on designing, building and programming its robot for competition in March and April.

Last weekend, several team members and mentors hosted a Bottle Drive, accepting empty liquor, wine and beer bottles and cans, and raising almost $750. Thanks to everyone who helped out, and to the very generous community for dropping off a massive amount of bottles and cans in support of the local robotics team.

Thursday evening, a handful of team members and mentors joined the Rotary Club of Kincardine on a roadside clean-up along Highway 21 from the 5th Concession to the 7th Concession. It was a dirty job but there was also a sense of accomplishment at doing something to clean up the local environment.

The team made some interesting finds, including trophies, a cushion, a shoe, a metal bar, a vehicle blinker cover, and innumerable plastic water bottles!

The Kinetic Knights are headed to Hamilton this weekend for the STEMly Cup, an off-season competition featuring last season’s robot in the “Reefscape” challenge.

The next fund-raiser is a bake sale at Kincardine’s Hometown Christmas, Friday, Nov. 21, from 5-9 p.m. You’ll find team members selling baked goods, by donation, in front of the NPX office beside HuronTel, on Queen Street.

Team 781 is also hosting a FIRST Lego League (FLL) qualifying tournament, Saturday, Nov. 29, at Kincardine District Senior School.

Saturday, Jan. 10, is the kick-off for the 2026 FRC robotics challenge.

Team 781 is a community youth robotics organization, open to young people, ages 13-19, in Kincardine.The team members and mentors focus on various aspects of team-building, as well as constructing a robot to enter in FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competitions.

For more information, contact lead mentor, David Dadson, at dcdadson@live.com.