POSTPONED ** Soapbox Races Returning to Bernardston!

After a nine-year hiatus, the race is back -- and it’s gonna be awesome!

*** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED to 2022 ***

In 2012, the Town of Bernardston held a soapbox race as part of its 250th Anniversary. This was a one-off race down Huckle Hill Road. Racers came from as far as Sharon, CT.

The race will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, and is a fundraiser for the Recreation Department so they can buy a new electronic scoreboard for the gymnasium. There will be vending opportunities for local businesses, and the committee is looking for sponsors to help underwrite the event.

The race was originally going to be on June 28, 2020, but, you know, COVID.

Racers will start on Eden Trail, which merges with West Mountain Road and ends near South Street. The course is a little over a 1/2 mile long for adults, and at the hard right where Eden Trail merges with West Mountain Road adult racers can expect speeds of up to 50 MPH or more. The final straightaway will be lined with chearing fans, and vendors. There will be announcers and celebrity judges on a platform overlooking the track near the finish line.

Racers will have staggered starting points, with the Kid-Class racers starting partway down the hill (0.3 mile course); Teen-Class racers a bit higher up (0.4 mile course); and Adult-Class racers at the top (0.6 mile course). Racers will go in age order, from youngest to oldest, going through each division. Racers will get two qualifying heats, going down the hill in pairs side by side with another racer. In each heat racers will trade lanes so they get one heat in the left lane and one in the right. Both racers run times will be added together for a total race time.

The race committee is looking for volunteers, both on race day as well as on the committee itself, which will meet about a dozen times between now and race day. All volunteers will get a free t-shirt.

The first official RACE COMMITTEE meeting was held on Wednesday, February 26th, 2020, at 7:00 at Antonio's Pizza and Grinders in Bernardston. The committee is looking for responsible people who can help with certain tasks and make most of the meetings (yet to be determined).

To get on the mailing list for frequent updates on race preparation and other news, fill out the form on our contact page.

Tell everyone you know, and get started building your winning race cart!

Posted: to Bernardston Soapbox News on Thu, Feb 13, 2020
Updated: Tue, Apr 20, 2021