Fifty-nine racers turned out for Lakeridge Community Church’s third annual Soap Box Derby Sept. 24.
“The Soapbox Derby was a huge success,” said Lakeridge Community Church’s Pastor Evan Dewald.
“We had a record number of racers and everyone was safe and focused on having fun,” he said.
The near perfect racing weather may have given a boost to the number of racers who showed up to test their skills in the derby.
Dewald said that the Soap Box Derby was a success both on and off the track.
Part of the church’s goal in hosting the race is to grow community and create an event that brings families together.
“It was successful because many families spent time with each other building and painting their cars,” said Dewald.
Although he was pretty busy working the starting line, Dewald said he observed “neighbours were out to watch and getting to know each other,”
“For me that really is all the reasons we do these events,” he said.
Dewald has a lot of fun helping to run the event from the starting line.
“Watching a child glowing with excitement as they get ready to race the first time is always a treat,” he said.
With the variety and number of cars at the races, it can be hard to pick a favourite, however this year one truck did stand out to Dewald.
“The most interesting car for me was the Mator Tow truck,” said Dewald.
The father and sons team worked really hard to customize their racer to be a replica of the tow truck character from Pixar’s Cars movies.
The single greatest moment though was at the end of the day when one of the kids proudly showed off her second-place trophy to her dad.
“After I gave her the trophy I saw her run off to the side where he dad was standing.
“She gave him the biggest hug and showed him what she had won,” said Dewald, “that was the best part for me, to see her and her dad connect like that was moving.”
Dewald also credits the day’s success to the volunteers.
“The strength of our community will always rest upon people choosing to get involved and volunteer for something,” he said.
The volunteers in Chestermere are what make all of the city’s events and festivals a success, not just the Soap Box Derby.
