Drew Ford/Kiwanis Club of La Mesa Soap Box Derby

Feeling the need for speed? Then the Drew Ford/Kiwanis Club of La Mesa Soap Box Derby is where you need to be on May 19.

The annual derby will take place on a course on Junior High Drive, adjacent to La Mesa Middle School. The staging area where the drivers check in and the cars are weighed is at Highwood Park.  First heats will begin around 9 a.m., and the derby will end with a trophy presentation between 3 and 4 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.

Division winners at this derby—termed “local” because entrants must be residents of East County—are eligible to compete in the National All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, during the last week of July. The Kiwanis Club and its sponsors help pay airfare for the youngster and one adult, and shipping of the car. Some 500 contestants from all over the nation compete in Akron, which has hosted the National Derby for 75 years, since 1937.

This derby, which is in its 10th year, is supported by Drew Ford and other local businesses and individuals.

To enter, contact Derby Director Wilkes at 619-709-5777.