Racers get ready: Unadilla to host soap box derby
By Allison Collins Contributing Writer Feb 20, 2025 Updated Feb 20, 2025, the Daily Star
The Cullman Summer Series is off to the races.
The series, presented by the Cullman Child Development Center in Sidney, will feature a soap box derby, Sunday, July 13, in Unadilla. Introduction of the derby builds off the series’ other days, which include Ag Day, Big Rig Day and Bee Day. According to a media release, “This family-friendly event invites participants to design, build, and race their unique, gravity-powered cars down our thrilling track.”
A soap box derby is a race for children driving motorless, wooden vehicles that resemble racing cars. According to soapboxderby.org, the youth racing program has run nationally since 1934.
Organizer Corbin Curley said the derby furthers the series’ mission while increasing its reach.
“I started the Summer Series with Bill (Roche), and I was president of the Rotary Club in Sidney in 2020, and that’s where we kind of kicked things off,” he said. “Since then, we’ve moved over to Cullman, but I’ve stayed with Bill as a lead on the committees. We’ve been doing the same events since 2020, and we wanted to not only expand what we’re doing, but also get more of the community involved and more of the surrounding areas involved.
“We brainstormed all sorts of ideas, but it really came down to the core principles of the Summer Series,” Curley continued. “It’s what can we do that is going to get kids involved in hands-on activities? What connects them to the community? and it should be fun. It was Bill that came up with this idea and (Unadilla mayor) Jake (Cotten) has come on to make all of this possible to do it in Unadilla.”
Cotten, who said plans began about a year ago, said hosting the soap box derby supports overall goals for the village.
“A lot of us know, for the past five or six years, up until a few years ago, there wasn’t much going on around Unadilla,” he said. “We’re trying to put together different events to draw in different people and maybe help boost the local economy. Hopefully, businesses start seeing there’s action in the village again and they’re more apt to choose Unadilla.”
Derby weekend, Cotten said, coincides with the village’s annual Carnival of Sales and will also feature a food and goods vendor sale and classic car show.
Curley said he and Roche refined their approach after attending the Montague Soap Box [Races] in Massachusetts last summer.
“We met with some people who have been extremely helpful in teaching us how to do this, so we were lucky enough to have those people guide us down this road, and we feel like we have a roadmap,” he said. “The goal of the Summer Series, coming out of COVID, was to get kids out of the house, to do something with their hands and learn something and, of course, have fun, and that’s what you get with all the events we’ve done.
“But the soap box derby really takes that up a notch,” Curley continued. “Now, they’re not just coming to learn, the learning process starts months before, and we’re looking to connect them with community sponsors or Mom and Dad, to help them get the materials and build it with them and support them through it. It definitely is a lot more hands-on than ever before, simply because it’s not just the day, it’s something kids will have to prepare for — starting soon — and that’s a big change.”
To read the full article:
Attached File:
Posted: to Cullman Derby Days News on Thu, Feb 20, 2025
Updated: Tue, May 13, 2025