18 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7
M
acon's first soapbox derby
dates all the way back to
1936. It has come and gone
and changed locations throughout
Macon's history. It popped up for
a few years after World War II and
coasted through a decade starting
around the mid-1980s. In 2008, a
lively, if slightly motley, crew of
volunteers that call Magnolia Street
their home base stepped into the
driver's seat to reinitiate the time-
tested tradition and love of the
derby.
This past April, roughly 6,000
spectators lined Magnolia Street
to experience the ninth year of the
Magnolia Soap Box Derby. Some
came to watch the 16 Gravity Racing
Challenge/STEM cars from high
schools throughout Middle Georgia,
and 36 adult cars in the Shade Tree
and professional categories race
down the hill for the best times.
Some came to witness the
creativity of the derby car decor
and were rewarded with unicorns,
gigantic teeth, a replica of a Star
Wars X-wing (R2D2 included) and a
human-sized mustard bottle with a
living and too-large-for-practicality
tree attached.
Some came to watch the dance
performances and some came for the
largest variety of food truck vendors
you'd find at any Macon event. All
Soap Box
Derby is
rolling
By Christopher Smith
