Commentary: When politics killed the kids' car race

As the rift between Valley-Wide and the City of Menifee widened, the Soap Box Derby became a casualty. File photo

By Doug Spoon, Menifee 24/7 Editor

Bring back the Soap Box Derby.

From 2012-16, Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District sponsored an event that, at least to this reporter, was the epitome of what Menifee should be. Every year, it was one of the most enjoyable events to cover. In five years, I never saw one person shout in anger, nor one child cry.

How can you not have fun at a Soap Box Derby? You build a racer out of wood and metal, with no engine, no real brakes, and a steep hill to roll down. In Menifee, cars raced in pairs down a steep portion of Menifee Road south of Holland Road. Nobody got hurt; everyone who wanted to compete got a chance; and spectators were always supportive.

There’s no umpire to anger Little League parents. No season standings to worry about. Just a simple event that is a throwback to the 1930s, when the “Little Rascals” popularized Soap Box Derby racing in films adults still remember and in re-makes children know all about.

For a few special nights each summer, dads and grandpas would work with young boys and girls to design, build and decorate their race car. Valley-Wide recreation leaders provided guidance. Then one special Saturday each September, people of all ages worked together to pull off a great event.

Kids were not on phones, playing video games. They wore helmets and huge smiles. And the adults? Well, City of Menifee officials enthusiastically supported the program, supervised road closures, and some even raced in the event. There was a spirit of cooperation and good, wholesome fun.

Then politics took over. Suddenly, a little more than a year ago, the adults pulled rank on the kids. Neither side will admit it, but a legal battle over control of parks and recreation services in Menifee between the City and Valley-Wide killed the Soap Box Derby.

As the City of Menifee staff grew following incorporation, it created its own Community Services (i.e., Parks and Recreation) Department. The City sought to take control of parks and recreation services east of the 215 Freeway from Valley-Wide. Things got confrontational and the issue still has not been resolved.

We are not taking sides in the City vs. Valley-Wide issue. There are pros and cons on both sides. What we do know is that one of the big losers as this battle continues is the Soap Box Derby – and the families who looked forward to it each year.

Apparently, it is now too much to ask the two sides to work together on anything. When Valley-Wide celebrated the opening of its Lago Vista Sports Park last summer, some City officials attended. To be sure, it was an awkward moment. And while the City of Menifee aggressively promoted its own Spring Festival last month, it made no mention of Valley-Wide’s Easter Egg Hunt the very next weekend, also in Menifee.

Now who’s being childish here? Not the Soap Box racers. C’mon, guys. Swallow your pride. If you can’t fix the big picture, at least focus on the little ones. Give us our race back. Do it for the kids.