National Race To Be Held In Spokane

A local soapbox enthusiast is putting north Spokane on the soapbox circuit. The National Derby Rally will hold a race on the Post Street hill September 7-8. Fifty racers are expected to compete for points on the national soapbox circuit, similar to national stock car competitions.

“Kids literally do this yearround,” said Marchette Momb, who organized the race.

No local racers have signed up yet, but with cash prizes of $300, several are expected to. Racers from as far away as Arizona are confirmed entries.

The Knights of Columbus is helping Momb organize and finance the race. A $350 insurance binder is required by the Colorado-based NDR.

Momb is also working to secure a permanent site for a Spokane Soapbox Derby park. Five acres are necessary and a hillside is preferred.

Momb and other organizers stumbled when searching for North Side sites and are now looking in the Spokane Valley and in Airway Heights. Mirabeau Point, the proposed Valley community center, is one possible site.

But Momb and soapbox enthusiasts in the EmersonGarfield neighborhood want the derby park on the North Side. “This is such a positive thing for kids,” she said.

, DataTimes