Tullahoma residents push to revive Soapbox Derby; board agrees to discuss at study session

Parents and former competitors urged the Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Aug. 11 to restore the Soapbox Derby after the event was left out of the proposed budget for the coming year. Speakers asked the board to consider forming a citizens committee, seek corporate sponsors and increase promotion to boost participation.

The pleas came during the public-comment portion of the meeting. Joseph Thomason, who identified himself as “a proud parent of multiple Tullahoma soapbox derby champions,” urged the board to improve promotion, add family-friendly activities and pursue corporate sponsorship to defray costs. “Advertising should start with our annual Christmas parade,” Thomason said, recommending earlier and broader outreach and partnerships with local engineering firms to fund trophies and entry expenses.

Another resident, who described a long family involvement with the race and said two local drivers had become national champions, asked the board not to “let this die” and offered volunteer time to form a citizens committee to help Parks and Recreation run the event. Greg Douglas, who said he and his son competed in 2024 and went on to Akron, also proposed using the derby as a STEM tool in local schools and said race officials from other cities had offered technical help.

Mayor and aldermen discussed whether the item required placement on the formal agenda or could be handled briefly while attendees were present. City leadership proposed adding discussion of the derby to an upcoming study session so community volunteers and staff could meet and outline needs. Alderman comments at the meeting emphasized outreach and volunteer recruitment as key to restoring participation.

The board did not allocate new funds during the meeting. Instead, members agreed to add the Soapbox Derby to a future study-session agenda where staff and citizens can develop proposals, sponsorship plans and a timeline for restoring the event.

Speakers and officials said the derby has drawn hundreds of children over 25 years and can serve as a STEM activity that complements the city’s engineering and aerospace-related employers. No formal funding decision was made at the Aug. 11 meeting; next steps are limited to scheduling the study-session discussion and inviting interested citizens and staff to participate.