Young soap box racers set to race into Historic Folsom for annual two-day event

It's an activity that dates back through the decades. An activity that has taught many youngsters the laws of gravity, speed thrills and likely introduced those in the early years to first aid products such as band aids and iodine as the combination of wood, wheels and a steep hill often came together to produce friendly competition among friends. Through the years, the homemade "go-kart" transformed into a more refined speed machine known as Soap Box racing and the rest is history. Soap Box racing continues today with youngsters competing across the country, and Historic Folsom is hosting it for two exciting days this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 16 to 17. The Folsom Soap Box Derby was first organized in 2018 by local residents Karen Holmes of Karen's Bakery & Café and Mike McKernan. The idea of having a derby in Folsom was something Holmes had long pondered. "Every once in a while, it would come out of my mouth but there hasn't been any ability to follow through or do anything about it," Holmes recalls. "I was having a party at my house and I was speaking to my long-time friend, Mike. I said something about a soap box derby and he said, 'That's funny, I used to race when I was a kid.'" After that conversation came a call to the American Soap Box Derby Association in Akron, Ohio, and Folsom soon became connected to the nearest derby chapter in Silicon Valley. While this is the third time that the sanctioned Soap Box Derby will hit the streets of Folsom, historical copies of the Folsom Telegraph indicate that soap box racing was happening here in the 1950s as competition took place on E. Natoma Street. Participants back then reportedly traveled down the hill toward the entry to Folsom Prison and City Hall. It was noted that in 1953, soapbox racing took place for his "second" year at the Pioneer Festival. In that event, Orangevale resident David Casten won the event, after a close race with Folsom's Elton Ellis. With hit and miss archives, no details of the inaugural event could be located. However, the sport continued for years after at the festival as well as locally on the grounds of Aerojet, which was noted in 1961 as being an event that qualified competitors for an International event. While the modern-day event will bring regular competitors to town, it will also provide area youngsters with the opportunity to compete. A select number of available soap box racers will once again be reserved for area competitors to take part in the event. "The racers from Folsom are showing up in force already. It's always exciting when we have returning racers," said Holmes. "They get bigger each year and it's fun to see their growth, both physically and mentally. Older drivers bring more understanding of race craft and it's fun to see those wheels turn. They also get to know each other and get excited to see each other in this common circle." Holmes explained how it's due to those in the surrounding communities that the art of soapbox racing is growing in the region. Sponsors of events are one way they are seeing interest, along with car ownership. "Because of a windfall from a Lincoln Rotary club, there were many new cars purchased this year at greatly reduced prices, which means we have lots of local car owners now," said Holmes. "Having local car owners is great because it ensures that we have cars and drivers to keep this event growing. We have quite an amount of new racers this year as well, all local." This weekend will feature multiple divisions and races for each participant. The start line will begin on the west side of Wool Street in front of Dorothea's Shoppe, with the finish line in front of Central Valley Community Bank. The run out will end at Reading Street where volunteers will help the participants climb from their cars and load them onto trailers staged in the Folsom Telegraph's parking lot. After racers finish their first race, their cars will be trucked to the top of the starting line to have their wheels rotated for their second heat. Various divisions will include stock cars for ages 7 to 14; superstock cars for ages 9 to 18; and masters for ages 10 to 20. Holmes said it depends on the child's size, as each car is built to specifications. "There are four masters entries this year," added Holmes. "We are always glad to have those racers. Big kids, cool cars. You can only see their eyes as they go by." While there are many aspects of this event that are unique, many of the entries will be kids from Folsom and surrounding communities. The rest of the participants will be from around the region; many will travel from Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Southern California. "We have a number of regular regional competitors making their way here," said Holmes, "This is the first time we've had racers travel from Washington. Four are driving in, two are flying in. In addition, there will be a driver from Oregon, a group from Los Angeles, and several from the Bay Area." Holmes noted that the group traveling from Los Angeles has an event taking place in their own area this weekend as well. However, they made the choice to travel to Folsom for this special event instead. "We have quite an amount of new racers this year as well, all local," Holmes said. "It's really great to have new drivers, as it keeps the event growing." So how does this all take place this weekend? Driver check-ins begin at 8 a.m., followed by a driver's meeting at 10:30 a.m. and a meeting for first-time drivers at 11 a.m. After that, everyone gets busy and the racing begins at 11:30. The best time to watch the racing, which is free, is from 12 to 3 p.m. Approximately 45 minutes after the last event, driver awards are presented at the Historic Folsom Amphitheater. While Holmes encourages residents to come out and line Sutter Street to cheer on the young racers, she also welcomes others to get involved. The event is still seeking volunteers to help make the day go smoothly for everyone. "It takes a lot of volunteers to make this event happen and we've been working on that for over a month now. We still have slots to fill and would love to have more folks helping," said Holmes. We can use more crosswalk monitors, trailer loaders, return truck drivers to get those little trailers back to the start line and more." Those wishing to volunteer or compete can contact Holmes at 916-208-2253 or at karen@karensbakery.com. More information on the sanctioning body can be found at www.soapboxderby.com/silicon-valley.