In Portland, this soap box derby combines downhill speed with extreme pageantry
The Portland Adult Soap Box Derby is a long-standing community event that emphasizes creativity and pageantry over pure speed. Participants build unique, gravity-powered vehicles to race down a hill in Mt. Tabor Park.
Why it matters
It serves as a cultural example of how traditional American pastimes evolve into community-focused art and social events.
Gravity is an inescapable force. It's why Earth has its atmosphere and orbits the sun. It can bring us to our knees. And it makes the race known as the soap box derby possible. This gravity-powered American tradition is usually a speed race for kids. But not in Portland, Oregon – home of the Portland Adult Soap Box Derby , which just celebrated its 27th annual run.
The use of aerodynamic, gravity-driven cars has been around for a long time – though it wasn't always known as a soap box derby. One of Charlie Chaplin's first screen appearances was 1914's Kid Auto Races in Venice . The event was also sometimes called a "pushmobile" race.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in