The Soap Box Derby is a youth-oriented soap box car racing program, founded in 1934 in the United States by Dayton, OH native Myron Scott, a photojournalist employed by the Dayton Daily News, and preceded by events such as Kid Auto Races at Venice in 1914. Proclaimed "the greatest amateur racing event in the world", the program culminates each July at the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship held at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio, with winners from their local communities travelling from across the US, Canada, Germany and Japan to compete. 2024 marked the 86th running of the All-American since its inception in 1934 in Dayton, Ohio, having missed four years (1942–1945) during World War II and one (2020) during the COVID pandemic. Cars competing in the program race downhill, propelled by gravity alone.
Ghost Dad is a 1990 American fantasy comedy film directed by Sidney Poitier and starring Bill Cosby, in which a widower's spirit is able to communicate with his children after his death. It was a box office disaster. The film was nominated for three Young Artist Awards.
Corbin Dean Bernsen is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series L.A. Law, as Dr. Alan Feinstone in The Dentist, as retired police detective Henry Spencer on the USA Network comedy-drama series Psych, and as Roger Dorn in the films Major League, Major League II, and Major League: Back to the Minors. He also appeared regularly on The Resident, The Curse, General Hospital, and Cuts, and has had intermittent appearances on The Young and the Restless.
Buckner & Garcia was an American musical duo consisting of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia from Akron, Ohio. Their first recording was made in 1972, when they performed a novelty song called "Gotta Hear the Beat", which they recorded as Animal Jack. Later, in 1980, they wrote a novelty Christmas song titled "Merry Christmas in the NFL", imagining sports journalist Howard Cosell as Santa Claus. The recording was credited to Willis the Guard and fictional group Vigorish. The song reached No. 82 on the Billboard charts. In 1981, the duo wrote a faith-based country theme to back the poem "Footprints in the Sand", performed by Edgel Groves, which reached No. 1 on many Country and Easy Listening radio stations. The duo also produced an extended version of the WKRP in Cincinnati theme song released on MCA Records in 1982.
The Rubber Bowl was a stadium located in Akron, Ohio, that was primarily used for American football. From its opening in 1940 until 2008, it served as the home field of the Akron Zips football team of the University of Akron prior to the opening of InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field. Throughout its history, it also hosted concerts, professional football, high school football, and other events. It was named after the predominance of the tire industry in Akron. The stadium had a seating capacity of 35,202 and was located in southeastern Akron next to Akron Fulton International Airport and Derby Downs, about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of downtown.
Wilma Jeanne Cooper was an American actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973–2013). At the time of her death, she had played Katherine for nearly 40 years, and her name appears on the list of longest-serving soap opera actors in the United States.
Derby Downs, in Akron, Ohio, has been the home track of the All American Soap Box Derby since it was built as a Works Progress Administration project in the late 1930s. The three-lane asphalt track starts near the top of George Washington Boulevard and drops in a straight line down the wooded hill in the shadow of the Rubber Bowl, ending under final approach for runway 25 of Akron Fulton International Airport. Entry to the facility is through its main gate, which is located at 41.035110, -81.458189. Many people every year come to the "Downs". Before the All American Soap Box Derby even starts they still use the track for the local competitors. During that time they only use two lanes of the three. There are three car categories (divisions) each having a different type of car: Stock, Super Stock, and Masters. They only race their own categories. Each time a competitor has to race down the hill they race twice. Each time they go down it is called a Phase, and two Phases are called a Heat. When going down the track just nudging the steering wheel may cost you the heat. A win is determined by a fraction of a second. Rarely do they ever get a tie or a Dead heat especially during the All American Soap Box Derby.
The Frogmen is a 1951 American black-and-white World War II drama film from Twentieth Century Fox, produced by Samuel G. Engel, directed by Lloyd Bacon, that stars Richard Widmark, Dana Andrews, and Gary Merrill. The film's storyline is based on operations by United States Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, popularly known as "frogmen", against the Japanese Army and naval forces. It was the first such film about scuba diving and became a popular cultural hit.
A gravity racer or soapbox car is a motorless vehicle which is raced on a downhill road either against the clock or against another competitor. The vehicles are propelled by gravity.
Myron E. Scott was the creator of the All-American Soap Box Derby. He is also credited with naming Chevrolet's sports car, the Corvette.
Corbin Bleu Reivers is an American actor and singer. He began acting professionally in the late 1990s before rising to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Chad Danforth in the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). Songs from the films also charted worldwide, with the song "I Don't Dance" peaking inside the Top 70 of the Billboard Hot 100. During this time, he also starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In! (2007) and the film To Write Love on Her Arms (2015). He competed in the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars.
The Free Lance–Star is the principal daily newspaper distributed throughout Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States, with a circulation area including the city of Fredericksburg and all or parts of the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, Louisa, Orange, Prince William and Westmoreland.
The culture of Akron, Ohio is an amalgamation of local features of the city, which was founded in Summit County in 1825.
The New Age is a 1994 comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Tolkin, and starring Peter Weller and Judy Davis.
Lay the Favorite is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by D.V. DeVincentis, and stars Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson. Based on Beth Raymer's 2010 memoir of the same name, the film follows a young, free-spirited woman as she journeys through the legal and illegal world of sports gambling.
Kristina Davis is a fictional character General Hospital, an American soap opera on the ABC network. Created by Robert Guza, Jr. and Charles Pratt, Jr., and introduced by Jill Farren Phelps in 2002, Kristina is the daughter of mob kingpin Sonny Corinthos and his former attorney, Alexis Davis. Following the portrayal of several child actors, Kristina was rapidly aged in 2009, with the introduction of Lexi Ainsworth in the role. Signed as a recurring role, Ainsworth was upped to regular status, following favorable reception from audiences. In 2011, Ainsworth announced she had been let go from the role. The role was reintroduced the following year when Lindsey Morgan was cast. Morgan remained for eleven months and was written out following her final appearance in March 2013. In 2015, Ainsworth returned to the role, appearing sporadically until her exit in 2023. The role is presently portrayed by Kate Mansi.
The seventh season of Psych, containing 14 episodes, premiered on the USA Network in the United States on February 27, 2013. The primary run ended on May 29, 2013, but a television special, Psych: The Musical aired later in the year. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, and Kirsten Nelson all reprised their roles as the main characters in the series.
Psych: The Movie is a 2017 American made-for-television comedy film based on the USA Network dramedy series Psych. The film follows the Psych characters three years later in San Francisco, since the series finale in 2014. The movie aired on December 7, 2017, on the USA Network. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, and Corbin Bernsen all reprised their roles from the series, with frequently recurring actors Kurt Fuller and Jimmi Simpson also appearing. The film was directed by series creator Steve Franks, who co-wrote the script with Roday. Franks has stated his hope to make five more sequels in what would become the Psych film series.
The Kinsmen Coaster Classic, also named the All Canada or All-Canadian Coaster Classic, was a youth-oriented soap box race car program that took place in the City of Montreal, Canada from 1938 until the early 1970s. Organized by the Kinsmen Club of Montreal, it was the first city-wide soap box race to be held in the municipality. Cars competing in the event raced downhill, propelled by gravity alone. Competing in two separate classes, boys raced hand-made cars on various streets throughout the city until a permanent site was chosen in Montreal's east end.
