Soap box derby needs volunteers, financial help

BANGOR – The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby race will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 3, on Buck Street between the Bangor Auditorium and the Bangor Daily News.

But the event is at a crossroads, in need of volunteer and financial support in order to continue its work teaching the skills of workmanship, the spirit of competition and the value of perseverance.

The All-American Soap Box Derby was initiated in 1933, with Eastern Maine racing beginning in Bangor as early as 1935. The Maine Soap Box Derby peaked in the 1950s with 539 boys entering the event and more than 10,000 spectators watching. The derby stopped in 1967 after the race moved from Brewer to Old Town and the steep hill chosen for the event resulted in several derby-related accidents.

On June 17, 1995, after an absence of more than 25 years, the soap box derby was revived in Maine. In Camden, thousands of spectators watched as 100 participants in the Mid-Coast Maine Soap Box Derby vied for the top prize of a trip to the nationals in Akron, Ohio.

The next year, the soap box derby came home to eastern Maine with races held in the Bangor-Brewer area. The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby has won several prestigious awards during the last 10 years – as one of the largest races in the nation, as “Outstanding Race City” named by the All-American National Board, and honored for having the “Top Race Director.”

The soap box derby is a youth racing program governed by a national board at Derby Downs in Akron. The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby has three racing divisions along with a special needs division. Division winners compete for a national title at the All-American competition.

. The Stock division is designed to give the first-time builder a learning experience. Boys and girls, 8-13, compete in simplified cars built from kits purchased from the All-American. Kits include a step-by-step layout for construction of a basic “lean forward” car.

. Super Stock Car, ages 10-17, gives the competitor an opportunity to expand knowledge and build a more advanced model with a kit and shell from the All-American.

. Masters class offers ages 10-17 an advanced class of racer to challenge their creativity and design skills. Entrants purchase a Masters Kit and fiberglass body shell from All-American, customize the shell to fit the driver and make modifications to construct a more competitive car.

. Superkids division was intituted in 2004 by EMSBD. With the financial support of Advantage Payroll Services, the division allows area youth with special needs to get the same “thrill of the hill” that their peers enjoy in the traditional soap box derby race. Using adult-size soap box cars, experienced race drivers ride along with the Superkid racer to control the car down the track. A lottery determines the race winner, who goes on to compete at the national level the week after the All-American race.

Families and racers in 1996 had only one opportunity a year – the local Brewer-Bangor derby race. In 1998, parents and volunteers began holding rally races on back roads, in parking lots and inside buildings during the winter. Rally races provide an opportunity to participate in more than 20 additional soap box derby races.

Boys and girls obtain points for attending and placing in the top eight positions during rally races. Rally races allow up to seven of the top point earners in each division the opportunity to participate in the National All-American Race. Eastern Maine has sent more than 20 boys and girls to the All-American races, with several attending more than three years of national racing.

The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby is entering its 11th season with the race scheduled for June 3 in Bangor. The local derby has gone through several changes in the past 10 years.

Early on, the eastern Maine race was controlled by a board of directors made up of a variety of business professionals who were committed to seeing the derby reinstated in Maine.

In recent years, parents of racers have been involved in supporting the derby. New board members helped make changes to keep the race competitive for all levels of driver through modifying race rules and race logistics.

The board of directors is experiencing a turnover. As children age and leave the sport, so do parents, leaving vacancies within the board and support units of the board. The derby is in need of additional volunteers, both parents and nonparents of racers, to join the board in an effort to continue the soap box derby tradition.

The derby still obtains significant support from the City of Bangor and its Parks and Recreation Department to provide the event.

The EMSBD board is interesting in the possibility of a local organization taking over the derby. Anyone interested in pursuing the derby as an organizational event should contact one of the board members for information.

The return of the eastern Maine derby would not have been possible without the volunteer support from the Air National Guard, providing dozens of people to help with the race. That support had to be suspended in order for the Guard to invest its time and efforts in protecting the rights and freedoms of our nation.

The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby has reached a crossroads and must look for help from the community to assist with the continued success of the derby.

Financial support, volunteer race support and assistance with the board of directors are needed to carry the derby into the future. The derby is in need of volunteers to help plan the event, provide facilities to hold meetings with racers and their families, help with concessions, do inspection clinics, set up the racetrack and help run the race.

The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby has lost more than 80 percent of its financial sponsorships over the past few years because of changes in the local economy, sponsor management changes, marketing changes and sponsors pursuing other financial opportunities.

The derby is looking for businesses interested in sponsoring children and community events. Those interested should call Hartley Webb, EMSBD president, at 843-5072.

The 2006 Soap Box Derby race will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 3, on Buck Street between the Bangor Auditorium and the Bangor Daily News. The registration deadline is April 30. To register, call Bangor Parks and Recreation at 992-4490.

For more information about the soap box derby, visit www.soapboxderby.org and click on the Eastern Maine icon. E-mail addresses are listed for board members.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2006 Soap Box Derby and we ask everyone to remember the derby goals – to teach youngsters some of the basic skills of workmanship, the spirit of competition and the perseverance to continue a project once it has begun.