Lined by bales of hay and hundreds of people, every second Saturday in April, Magnolia Street in downtown Macon gets transformed into a race track. Established in 2009, the Derby celebrated their “Sweet 16,” this year, as Charlotte Storey, Registration Chair and board member, explained. They couldn’t hold the races during covid, so this was the derby’s 16th event.
While the Magnolia Soap Box Derby has been around since 2009, the city of Macon is no stranger to soap box racing. 90 years ago, Macon had its first soap box derby. The winner of that first race, Herman Brown, was sent to Akron, Ohio, to compete in the National All-American Soap Box Derby race, placing Macon in a national light.
However, racing wasn’t as consistent then as it is now. In 1941, racing stopped due to World War II and eventually picked back up in 1946. However, 1947 was the last year of racing until the 80s due to the sheer number of injuries. It was reported that there were 17 accidents causing eight injuries. Storey said, “In the early years of the derby, it was a lot more dangerous, a lot more accidents, but now it’s a more formalized event.”
After 40 years, the Soap Box Derby returned to Macon in 1987, and then 22 years later, the Magnolia Soap Box Derby became what we know today.
Now there are three different divisions of racers participating: Professionals, Shadetree and STEAM. Each division has qualifications that must be met in order to race, and you can find more on their website. From Big Wheel races to food trucks, live entertainment in between different divisional races, and an exciting day of fast-paced competition, this event is a chance for the city of Macon to come alive.
