Christiana Soap Box Derby set for Oct. 12

The tradition of holding the Christiana Soap Box Derby will continue on Saturday, Oct. 12, when more than 15 youngsters ages 8 to 19 will compete for trophies by racing downhill in identically prepared racecars.

Setup will begin at 8 a.m., and the first cars will go down the race course at approximately 11 a.m. "I get permission from the state to close North Bridge Street in the upper part of Christiana. This year, we have a lot of new kids, so we will do a lot of practice runs," explained Kim Moore, one of the event organizers. "(North Bridge Street) is the actual race track. We use other roads to get the vehicles back and forth (to the top of the hill)."

Trophies will be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place winners, and all racers will be given participatory medals and T-shirts.

Soap box derby racing is when youths race cars down an inclined road or track. Because the cars have no engines, gravity powers the vehicles down the hill.

"(After) they come down the hill, there are custom-made trailers that we load the cars on. The kids walk up the hill, and we have pickup trucks that pull the trailers with the cars back to the top of the hill," explained Moore.

Cars go down the hill at approximately 25 miles per hour. "(The course) has a decent incline. By the time you hit halfway down, you are starting to get speed," noted Moore.

Both the start and finish lines are set up by volunteers in advance on the morning of the race. The course is also lined with hay bales for safety as well as orange cones. "Everything is custom made, so there is a tower at the finish line built specifically to that road, and there are ramps (at the start) to give (racers) that little push to go down," said Moore.

While the cars are prepared equally, there are steps that drivers can make to go faster. "Obviously, the object is to stay straight, and you pick up more speed. If you swerve, that loses time," said Moore. "Being down low in the car makes you more aerodynamic and move faster. There are also weights in the cars so all the cars weigh the same. Where the weights are placed can affect the fastness of the car."

This year, races will continue until about 8 p.m. "This is our first year of trying night racing," Moore noted.

Local businesses that are sponsoring the event include BJ Baldwin Electric of Narvon, which is helping with the lighting; Stillmeadow Equine Veterinary Service of West Brandywine; and M&M Silkscreen of Cochranville, which provides the T-shirts for a discounted fee.

Moore said that the event was started by Jim Groff, a member of the Christiana Lions Club and the Christiana Historical Society. While the derby did not take place for several years because of the pandemic, it has been held in Christiana since 2004.

"A bunch of businesses got together and purchased cars," she said. "We obtained most of those cars and kept them in storage so every year we reuse the cars and update them (as needed)."

Food will be, offered for sale throughout the day by the Octorara Area Little League. "The Octorara Little League will have games at the upper field that day (in Christiana Lions Club Park), and their concession stand will be open for business for lunch and dinner for race participants," said Moore.

The public is encouraged to attend the event and cheer on the racers. "It's meant to be a family sport. Everyone participates from the kids to the parents," added Moore. "It's a nice little town tradition, and it gets a lot of local people together."

For more information about the event, search for "Christiana Soap Box Derby" on Facebook. In the event of rain, the race will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26.