Soap Box Derby builds memories

YOUNGSTOWN — As 89-year-old John Fraser watched the eighth annual Greater Youngstown Area Soap Box Derby, he gazed with a historical perspective.

It was 1934 when Fraser, of Sebring, captured first place in the derby and went on to compete in national competition when it was held in Dayton before moving to Akron.

“We were a pile of wood on wheels,” Fraser recalled as he watched the boys and girls earlier today as they raced down Fifth Avenue on the city’s North Side.

Today’s racers or their sponsors pay $500 to $575 for the kits to build their cars. It didn’t take Fraser all that long, he said.

The body was made of the wood from an old orange crate he broke apart and reshaped. The steering wheel was off a Chevrolet car he found in the junk yard. The wheels were off a wagon and rope served as the steering mechanism.

The event was sponsored by the former Youngstown Telegram, for which he delivered papers along with The Vindicator when he lived in Youngstown.

Since the founder of the derby lived in Dayton, that’s where it was held for two years, Fraser recalled. Thirty-six racers competed. Fraser said he is only one of two of those racers still living.

Now, there are three winners going from the Youngstown derby to the national event in Akron. They are first-place winners in their divisions. Julia Castner of Hubbard will run in the stock division; Johanna Kubler of Berlin Center, super stock; and Jarrod Shook of North Jackson, masters.

For the complete story, see Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.