Keith Hine believes more than 70 years of Mission history is in jeopardy, if the community isn’t willing to support the annual Soapbox Derby.
Hine, president of the Mission and District Soap Box Derby Association, says a lack of people willing to “step up” and become board members is endangering the event’s future.
“Myself and the board members are very concerned about the future of the soapbox derby after this year,” he said.
Funding has already been secured for the 2018 event and Hine says it will happen. However, money isn’t the issue.
“It’s not really a financial thing that we are worried about. We need more board members. We need more people to help behind the scenes.”
Currently, the association has only four board members: Hine, his wife, his son and mechanic Greg Becker.
He says that isn’t enough to keep the event going. He needs people to help gather sponsorships, run media relations, social media and other tasks.
“We just needs some new ideas, some new blood … We need a commitment from people.”
Board members meet once a month and Hine said anyone who is interested in keeping this tradition alive can call him at 604-830-1349 or 604-820-2048.
“My biggest fear is it’s just going to die.”
If he can get more people involved in the association, Hine said his ultimate goal is to have the race take place during Canada Day at Heritage Park.
He said the association has a small amount of money put away for a permanent track at Heritage park in the “very back”
But that dream, like the race itself, has an uncertain future, unless more people come on board to help.
“This can’t just die, it has such a long history here in mission.”
History:
The first soapbox derby in Mission took place in 1946 as part of the Mission Strawberry Festival.
The first year of the derby was a huge success as onlookers enjoyed watching the cars zoom down the course in their makeshift soap box cars. Planning to continue the derby as an annual event, the 1947 race landed Mission in some hot water when the All-American Soap Box Derby Association discovered that Mission’s Soap Box Derby was infringing on their copyrights.
However, instead of quashing the small-town event, an agreement took place which gave the Mission District rights to an American Soapbox Association franchise, meaning that the winner in Mission would go on to compete in the All-American Soap Box Derby Championship Finals in Akron, Ohio.
By 1950 the derby was a provincial-wide contest. To accommodate the derby’s increasing popularity, the city of Mission build a new track in 1953 at the fairgrounds.
The derby’s success surpassed everyone’s expectations and in 1956 the Strawberry Festival was dropped to handle the Derby exclusively, which subsequently attracted 20,000 visitors to Mission that year. In 1958 the Derby had over 200 contestants representing over 40 different communities.
However, the increased number of entries and competition to build better cars had also caused a decrease in local entries.
Due to declining local interest, the derby was cancelled in 1974.
In 1999, sponsored by the Mission & District Lions Club, the derby was started again. It was taken over in 2002 by the Mission & District Soap Box Derby Association and has taken place annually ever since.
– with files from the Mission Museum
