PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local non-profit West Side Legends hosted its first soap box derby on Saturday, giving children and their families a chance to race down Robbins Avenue in handmade gravity racers. 

 

Approximately 125 residents attended the races, cheering on their community members as they sped down the hill. 

 

West Side Legends strives to improve the quality of life of others and revitalize the neighborhood on a local level through education, local events, and fundraisers.

 

This event brings back a tradition that was greatly missed by the residents for the past 45 years when William Johnson ran it for the Christian Center.

 

"Basically it gets the older people who had the opportunity to do derbies when they were kids, to bring their kids out and show them what they did as kids. And it just passes on through generation," said the club's President Tony Jackson. 

 

One of the cars that participated in the race was dedicated to Brian Goines who passed away on Oct. 29, 2020. His grandson Jordan Goines was the first to ride the bright pink car that matched the one Brian rode in 1973.

 

"Having his grandson Jordan ride the first race. He's looking down. He's looking down. He's happy," said Brian's brother and club volunteer Kirt Goines.

 

Jordan described the ride as exhilarating and said it provided an opportunity to have a friendly race and a little competition. 

 

Next year West Side Legends will be dedicating the race to their fallen friend. 

 

Resident Cooper Knodler, who participated in the kids' class, originally attended to watch his friend but decided that he wanted a chance to ride and called it a fun learning experience. 

 

Knodler was ecstatic when he won the race and ran down the street to give observers high-fives.

 

Another racer, Josiah Polidoro, shared that sentiment and said that despite his breaks hitting rocks, he would ride again. 

 

"It was kind of scary being racing down the hill because you're hitting a lot of bumps and you really don't know how fast you're going. I had lot of fun," he said.

 

Blue Q teamed up with the West Side Legends a few months ago and decided to "throw their hats in the ring" and built a soap box named "911" in addition to three smaller karts that they donated to the Westside Legends.

 

Blue Q's team equipped their car with a potato cannon that they modified to launch a parachute that went off during the race, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. 

 

Blue Q also held a clinic for the kids to assembled the carts with the Blue Q team. 

 

"I mean, just look around it. Just you know, it brings everyone together. It brings everyone out of their homes," Blue Q warehouse manager Sergio Bencivenga said.

 

"I mean, people just kind of, as we started gathering, you could see everyone starting to come out of their houses just to see what's going on. It's just it just brings everyone together for a common purpose. It's it's awesome. It's a lot of fun."

 

Hopkins Builders also had cars in the race and commended the West Side Legends for its work in advocating for the neighborhood. 

 

"It's great to bring the community back together. This was a historic event for many years that the kids used to participate in," Hopkins owner Larry "Sparky" Hopkins said. 

 

"And now we're trying with the West Side Legends to bring back a lot more community action into this neighborhood and pump a lot of more positivity so that we can all kind of be part of this great community that once was here in the Berkshires and in Pittsfield."

 

Hopkins' nephew Evan Cyr won first prize in the kids division and thanked his uncle, his father, and his family and plans to participate in the event next year.  

 

The club partnered in the derby with Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and Blue Q. 

 

"We partner with the West Side Legends to revitalize the West Side neighborhood and bring life and neighborhood back and community," Tonya Frazier of Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity said.

 

"We're really big on bringing the community back together so that we can have more events like this and feel like a huge family again." 

 

The race consisted of two classes, a kids class for ages 10 to 17, and an adult class. Trophies were presented for first and second place in each division, plus Best Show Car.

 

For more information on West Side Legends visit the website.