Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby set to return in August

KINGSTON, N.Y. — Mobile works of art, limited only by their creators’ imagination, will again roll down Broadway when the Kingston Artists Soapbox Derby returns on Aug. 20.

Like years past, the creations, which are not all cars, will set off from near the corner of Broadway and Spring Streets at 1 p.m. and process down to the foot of Broadway in the 28th running of the event.

"We’ve already got a few entries," Michael DiPleco said. He is co-organizing the event alongside Nancy Donskoj, who was one of the event's founders. He added that the Derby is not a race, instead focusing on creativity and a bit of engineering.

Sitting adjacent to a wall filled with past Kingston Artist Soap Box Derby posters in Blue Byrd's Haberdashery & Music in Uptown Kingston recently, DiPleco and Donskoj said they’re trying to build on last year, where there were 12 entries as they seek to return the event to its heyday when there were dozens and dozens of entries each year.

"We want to bring it back to being a real event where there are lots of entries and smiling faces lining the street," Donskoj said, "In our peak year we had 42 entries."

A handful of entrants have already signed up.

Returning contestants this year include the Keegan Army which entered the USS Tommy Keegan last year. and the Ulster County Italian American Foundation which entered a wine-cask-themed car in the last event.

DiPleco said since his wife Tess Casey is not on the committee this year, she will have an entry that builds upon an 8-foot-tall giraffe that was crafted in South Africa using recycled plastic more than 20 years ago and once appeared in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Donskoj confirmed that after a year off, longtime Derby participant Bob Johnson, known for his highly artistic entries, will participate this year.

Radio Kingston will also be building an entry, the organizers said.

He said a local Girl Scout troop will return to the event this year. "The Girl Scouts girls will be working on their Engineering Badges learning mechanics of machines," DiPleco said.

Donskoj said there will be $2,000 in cash prices on offer this year.

"We’re working to put together a team of judges," Donskoj said. She reiterated that the judges will be looking not at speet, but for creativity and engineering and also something surprising and entertaining when picking out prize winners.

Donskoj said they’re also working on nailing down a location to host workshops, where they can help those building an entry with basic things such as steering and braking.

But she asserted this does not mean people even have to build something with wheels.

"There was a guy with a leaf blower and a trash can once," DiPleco said.

Donskoj recalled on another occasion a person purchased an ice block from the Binnewater Ice Company and put tank wheels on it and rolled down the hill.

"It was a hot day and it pretty much melted by the time it reached the bottom," she said.

Donskoj and DiPleco said they are also seeking to harken back to the event's heyday by ramping up the entertainment this year.

"There's going to be some percussion," Donskoj said. "We want to make some noise before the people start."

This includes the return of Wild Women, who will host a "parade" on the day of the event. "The organizer is now in Savannah, Georgia, but they’re coming back," he said.

He said before the entries roll, Matthew "Max" Fass, organizer of the Brazzamatazz Festival at Seed Song Farm, will lead a brass band up and down the hill.

This year's giveaway for kids will be little pigs made from recycled paper in South Africa by a certified fair-trade organization, DiPleco said.

Donskoj said they’re seeking volunteers to be part of the event's "Gravity Control" team and, of course, more entries.

"There's no derby without participants," he said.

For more information and updates and to volunteer or register an entry, visit https://kingstonartistsoapboxderby.com/.

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