More than 500 youngsters and their families converged in Akron, Ohio, for the gala week of activities leading up to the 74th All-American Soap Box Derby at historic Derby Downs. Boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17 earned the trip by winning local Soap Box Derby races in their home communities throughout the United States, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
Race week festivities got underway with the welcoming ceremonies for all visiting Soap Box Derby participants at Canal Park Stadium, the home of the Akron Aeros. Then the action shifted to Derby Downs for technical inspections of their racers, weigh-ins and trial runs on the famous 989-foot-long track. New activities for this year included demonstrations of street luge, slalom skateboarding and longboard skateboarding sprints by representatives of the International Slalom Skateboarding Association and the International Gravity Sports Association. The week also offered the opportunity for youngsters and adults to take a run in a Soap Box Derby racecar in regulation Derby racers and in special adult cars built especially for these runs.
“We are building on the growing interest in the Soap Box Derby as a result of the recent premiere of Corbin Bernsen’s 25 Hill Derby-themed movie to give people an opportunity to experience Derby Downs,” says Joe Mazur, president and chief executive officer of the All-American Soap Box Derby.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby was run in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934. The event moved to Akron the following year, where it has been held annually except for a four-year hiatus during World War II. Derby Downs was built in 1936.
