Bangor holds 11th annual Soap Box Derby

BANGOR – Boys and girls ages 8 to 17 have been spending time with parents and friends during the last month preparing for the 11th running of the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby. The race will take place Saturday, June 3, on Buck Street in Bangor in front of the Bangor Daily News. The race day schedule is as follows:

. 7 a.m. Kids meet at the finish line for a drivers’ meeting.

. 7:30 a.m. Kids remove cars from Bangor Daily storage area.

. 7:55 a.m. Group picture will be taken of all the kids and their cars next to Bangor Daily.

. 8 a.m. National Anthem with Bangor High Junior ROTC Color Guard, parade of kids and their cars.

. 8:30 a.m. Parade of past derby champions.

. 9 a.m. Mayors’ Race for mayors of Bangor and Brewer.

. 9:05 a.m. First race of the day.

. 11 a.m. Superkids Race begins.

. 4 p.m. Top eight cars in each division compete for places.

. 5:30 p.m. Awards ceremony will be held at the gazebo in front of Bangor Auditorium.

Buck Street will be closed beginning 6:30 p.m. Thursday so that the track and starting platform can be assembled in the road. The road will be closed from the lower gate behind the Civic Center to Main Street.

Access to Sunnyside Florist and Greenhouses will still be available. The road is scheduled to be reopened before 9 p.m. Saturday. During the day on Friday, beginning at noon, there will be a special race for local media racing in adult derby cars. Then there will be a race involving one person from each department of the city of Bangor.

Beginning at 1 p.m. Friday, derby racers who will participate Saturday will have their cars fully inspected and given one practice run before the cars are impounded inside the Bangor Daily News. The trial runs will last until 6 p.m. Friday.

A carnival will be held in conjunction with the derby 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, June 3, to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network and the Twin City Baptist Church Youth Group.

The Pit Stop Carnival will be held next to the gazebo on the front lawn of the Bangor Auditorium. The carnival has free admission and will offer a bounce house, super slide, face painting, pony rides, maze, bungee run, basketball shoot, clowns, dunk tank, kids’ games, prizes and more.

The Soap Box Derby is a youth racing program governed by a national board located at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby race consists of three racing divisions along with a special needs division for Superkids. The winners of each division will compete for a national title at the All-American competition. The Stock division gives the first-time builder a learning experience. Boys and girls, 8 through 13, compete in simplified cars built from kits purchased from the All-American. These kits assist the derby novice by providing a step-by-step layout for construction of a basic lean-forward style car.

The Super Stock Car division, for ages 10 through 17, gives the competitor an opportunity to expand knowledge and build a more advanced model. Both of these beginner levels make use of kits and shells available from the All-American. These entry levels of racing are popular in race communities across the country, as youngsters are exposed to the derby program for the first time.

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

The mission of the soapbox derby is 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.

In 2004 the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby introduced a new “Superkids” race division. With the financial support of Advantage Payroll Services, this 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.

The adult-size Soap Box cars used for this event allow experienced race drivers to ride along with the Superkid racer to control the car down the track. A drawing after the race will determine the race winner who will compete at the national level during a special race held the week following the All American race.

A 30-minute summary of last year’s 10th annual running of the Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby will be presented on Adelphia Cable Channel 12 at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, and 9 p.m. Friday, June 2. The program was produced by My Video Productions in Brewer.