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Derby. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of the individuals and organizations who have championed our cause,” Lyons Main Street Association Director Daphne Walker began during the ceremony. “Your belief in our vision and your contributions made this journey of 32 years possible. We look forward to celebrating today’s achievements and look forward to all that is ahead.”
The designation of the Lyons event as the official Georgia Derby has been in the works for around two years, as State Representative Leesa Hagan (R-156), of Lyons, authored and sponsored the measure as the first bill in her legislative career.
During the ceremony, Walker spoke on Hagan’s determination and work in passing the bill, as she shared, “With [Representative Hagan’s] unwavering commitment and perseverance we saw our dream of this designation become a reality. Representative Hagan took it upon herself to champion our cause as her first bill in the state Legislature, navigating challenges and delays.”
The bill was passed overwhelmingly three times in the State House of Representatives, with only one vote against it. After passing in the Senate earlier this year, the bill was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on May 7.
Hagan reflected on her experience, sharing her heartfelt support behind the creation of the bill. “This community is so special, and I am so grateful to live here. I didn’t grow up here, but it was like coming home when we moved here in 2009. I am so, so thankful that we live in a place where we have a park like this – most communities our size and larger do not have a facility like this. I’m thankful we have a place where people are willing to mentor our young people and teach them skills and show them characteristics that will take them into adulthood and prepare them for a successful future.”
Hagan shared her gratitude to the community, businesses, and organizations willing to donate to local activities, including the Soap Box Derby. “I am thankful to live in a place where we have young people that recognize that life is not on a screen, and that they need to put phones down, come outside, come to the park, build their derby car, race, and have some of the most fun that they will have in their entire life,” Hagan remarked. “I am so proud of our young people and their parents, grandparents, and mentors that are so involved with this derby.”
Ultimately, Hagan said the bill was Walker’s idea, as she approached Hagan with a dream of the event in Lyons being named the state’s official derby. Hagan looked into the other derbies within the state and was convinced of the need for the legislation after discovering the importance and prestige of the local event. “As I researched, I found that there is no question – this is the best derby in the state. There aren’t many derbies in the state, and this is by far the largest with the longest history, the most volunteers, and the best track record of sending people to Akron. So, there was no question that this was the derby that deserved to be named the state’s official soap box derby, and now, it is,” she commented.
The bill was first introduced last year, but after language was added to include irrelevant content to the legislation, Hagan chose to remove the derby designation from the potential law and to try again with a new bill, which prolonged the process another year. Hagan shared that this delay taught her many life lessons, as she emphasized, “You never fail if you learn. Things happen for a reason. So, while we hit some speed bumps along the way, it was a good learning process. A lot of us worked together – sometimes, we may have had to vent about things, but that’s O.K. because life is not always easy. It’s important that we keep on going.”
Because of her persistence, along with the support of House of Representatives leaders and the Senate, the bill ultimately passed. Hagan shared her gratitude to all who helped in the process including city administration, Southeast Soap Box Derby Committee members, Senator Blake Tillery, her family, and others.
“It is right and appropriate that the state of Georgia now will recognize the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby as the official Soap Box Derby of Georgia because it is the best derby in the state – no one can question that any longer. It is something that we all should be proud of in this community, and you racers and your families are shining examples of community involvement and volunteerism,” she stated.
Lyons City Manager Jason Hall also reflected on the occasion, as he shared memories of his first discovery of the soap box derby and his time as the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby director.
“My wife and I moved here in 2013 with our two youngest children. We moved in April – and in May that year, if I remember correctly, I painted a Barbie jeep black, put a batman emblem on the front, and almost died on Victory Drive,” he said with a laugh. “I did the ‘Run What You Brung’ and it was a crazy day; if you want to keep someone in your community, stick them in a black Barbie jeep, send them down a really steep hill, and tell them ‘good luck’ because all there was at that time at the end of the hill was a bunch of hay bales.”
Hall added, “So, I got introduced to this crazy thing called soap box derby. A few years later, someone approached me to be director – craziest two years ever. Soap box derby took me several places. I had the opportunity to fly to Akron, Ohio; it was an event to behold, and definitely a trip to take to witness the derby. I was able to go to Atlanta twice with Representative Hagan, and it has been an amazing ride.”
He stressed the importance of this new designation, as he stated that he feels that the magnitude of this accomplishment is often mistakenly overlooked. “We build upon the past, and we have a good foundation. We don’t realize how important this bill is to us and to Toombs County. What this lady (Hagan) did, with the support of Daphne (Walker) and the rest of the legislators, was change the actual official code of Georgia,” Hall explained, as he said that Chapter 50, section 3 of this official code now mentioned the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby.
“We talk about economic development a lot with our City Council and Development Authority, and this is how you make communities thrive and put them on the map. This actually puts us on the map,” he summarized.
Lyons Mayor Willis NeSmith echoed the significance of the designation as he shared memories of helping with the first Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby. According to NeSmith, the derby was the idea of Harold Roden, who said that he would start the derby, but someone else needed to keep the annual event going. Since then, there have been a plethora of directors, including Charles James, who served for 14 years and still continues to volunteer with the derby.
“We have done so much – our volunteers and directors have taken it to heart, and this thing has really grown to where we started so small on North Victory Drive, but now we have this beautiful complex, our building to store cars, four different divisions, and rally races, which we never had before. We even bring people all the way from California to run in our rally races, and that is just phenomenal. We are bringing in people from all over the United States. It’s not just directors or anything with the City, it is volunteers that have done all this,” the Mayor remarked.
He shared his gratitude for all the former directors and current Director Jonathan Gordy, and his excitement for local racers to attend the upcoming International Soap Box Derby Championships in Akron. “For the longest time, when we started out, our racers never made it through the first round – they always got put out. But the past 5-8 years, we’ve been doing really well and having some winners,” he said. “Good luck to everyone going.”
Lyons Main Street Association Board Chairman Clint Williams spoke next, sharing his own memories of the Derby throughout the years. Williams informed the crowd that his daughter was in the first ever derby, and that he had been involved in both good and stressful times with the derby.
One of the stressful times which Williams recalled was when he attempted to move the derby cars utilizing a tractor-trailer to transport all the cars at once rather than towing them one-by-one. “When we are doing something, I want to make sure we are doing it the best that we can. If you’re going to do something, do it with all your effort the best you can do. That’s what I was trying to do,” he chuckled. “It didn’t look pretty inside that trailer. As you know, each of these cars has cables that help steer them; out of over 50 cars, over 40 of them had broken cables. What we thought was going to be really nice and make things better made the race start hours late that year because we had to repair cars. We never tried that again.”
Nevertheless, Williams said these experiences bonded the community, with citizens becoming avid supporters of the event. “This community got behind it, and what you see here in this facility is incredible. Thank you to the City and everyone who got behind this to make us able to do this at the park,” he commented. “This is a prime example of a small town coming together with a few people to really pour themselves into an idea or thing and make it work. We’ve gone through several directors and all have done a great job; it takes someone with passion for this event. This may not be your thing – but there are several other events you can take part in. We have something for everybody to find their place in. I just think it’s really great.”
He concluded his address with hopes for the future, stating, “I probably will have some great grandkids that will be racing down this hill – it is something that will go on in this community and continue on.”
Director Gordy concluded the ceremony, as he agreed with everyone’s sentiments about the event, and introduced the crowd to the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby queens and the local champions who will compete in the International Championships.
“It has been great to see our vision come to fruition. Without the help of City Manager Jason Hall and Mrs. Daphne Walker and Lyons Main Street Association, and more, it wouldn’t be possible,” he remarked.
The event concluded, as attendees took rides down Derby Hill in two-person Superkidz cars and enjoyed free ice cream from Scoops.
A MOMENTOUS SEND OFF – The event also served as a send off celebration for several racers who traveled to Akron, Ohio, on Thursday, July 11, to prepare for the International Soap Box Derby Championships. L to R: Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby Director Johnathan Gordy, Masters Rally Champion Noah Gordy, Super Stock Rally Champion Alyssa Head, Local Masters Champion Alexis Head, Local Stock Champion Isaac Pickles. Not pictured: Local Super Stock Champion Taylor Copeland, Super Stock Rally Champion Charles Conner.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
