Come out for the Louisiana State Derby Car Championships and Splash, Dash & Roll on August 10th from 8am to 2pm in Downtown Leesville. In recognition of the long history of Leesville’s soapbox derby, Governor Jeff Landry has proclaimed August 10, 2024 to be Leesville Derby Daze Day in the State of Louisiana.
Splash, Dash and Roll
To celebrate, the city will host a new festival in downtown Leesville on the big day. The first annual Splash, Dash & Roll will include the Louisiana Soap Box Derby Championship as its central activity, but will have lots of new events added. As always, there’ll be some live music, vendors and a classic car show; but Friends of Leesville Main Street will also be giving away free school supplies.
Stay Cool
To help keep your family cool, they’ll have a tent set up so you can escape the sun — bring your own chairs or blankets to sit on. The young will enjoy playing in the sea of foam, bubble stations and water slides/inflatables — plus a few derby-related challenges.
Derby Queen
In preparation for the big event, they’ll also be holding the first Leesville Derby Queen pageant at the Leesville Event Center on July 27th. The new Queens will then attend the Third Street event to represent the city.
History of the Soap Box Derby
The idea of the Soap Box Derby® grew out of a photographic assignment of Dayton, Ohio, newsman Myron Scott, who came across a group of boys racing their homemade cars in the summer of 1933. Myron was so impressed with the event that he acquired a copyright to Soap Box Derby and went in search of a corporate sponsor to establish a national program.
Join us August 10th at 8am and tag us in your best derby photos with #LALegendCountry!
