In 1933 the first soapbox derby was held in Dayton, Ohio at the height of the Depression to lift civic morale. 45,000 spectators arrived to watch the 100+ entries of boys, aged 9-15, who had made their own “coaster”. Coasters were wooden soap boxes or fruit crates nailed onto 2x4s and fitted with wheels (most commonly taken from a pair of roller skates). There were no motors and no brakes. Steering was controlled by wrapping a rope around each end of the front 2×4: the rope ends were usually held by hand or sometimes attached to a bar or wheel. This first derby proved so popular that it moved to Akron, Ohio and became an annual national event. Regional competitions throughout the country were sponsored by local newspapers. Regional winners then traveled to Akron where the All-American Soapbox Derby was sponsored by Chevrolet from 1935-1972. Akron prize-winners received partial or full college scholarships.
The first regional soapbox derby in San Francisco occurred in 1936 on Carolina Street in Potrero Hill. The following year it was moved to the Sunset District[1] on Sunset Blvd between Ulloa and Wawona. In 1939, during the Golden Gate International Exposition[2], the competition was moved to Treasure Island where it was held for two years before returning to Carolina Street in 1941. It was cancelled between 1942-1945 because of World War II[3], then returned to the Sunset in 1946. The San Francisco Chronicle[4] was the official sponsor from 1937-1953 and the San Francisco News took over sponsorship from 1954-1959 before returning to the Chronicle.
In the late 1960s the San Francisco Regional Soapbox Derby moved to Dublin and later to San Mateo. In 1971 independent soapbox derbies returned to the Sunset on 20th Avenue as a fundraiser for local community projects.
In 1975, 1978 and 2022 the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art[5] sponsored independent soapbox derbies on Shelley Drive in McLaren Park[6]. The first derby showcased 79 local artists including Ruth Asawa[7], raising $10,000 for the museum.
Starting in 1992 there were soapbox derbies every third Sunday of the month between May-November on Ring Road in Bernal Heights[8]. Organized by the Illegal Soapbox Society, it is now an annual event held over the Halloween weekend.
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[1] Sunset District: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4584 [2] Golden Gate International Exposition: story coming February 18th [3] World War II: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4222 [4] San Francisco Chronicle: story coming January 16th [5] San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4406 [6] McLaren Park: story coming January 5th [7] Ruth Asawa: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3628 [8] Bernal Heights: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4710
