Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, July 25, 2024. Reprinted with permission and gratitude.
By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy
Uphill. Uphill. Uphill some more. Uphill. Even further uphill. Uphill. Uphill…uphill.
DOWNHILL!!!!!!!!!!!
“This is currently the ‘Top of the Hill Cratebox Derby, and it was originally the ‘King of the Hill Cratebox Derby’ run by Ron Merkel, Jayson Smith and Todd Jones and multiple volunteers, then it was the ‘Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby’ when Fins and Films brought back the cratebox derby three years ago,” recounted Megan Merkel, speaking of the long uphill-downhill-uphill-again history of Spring Valley’s wooden wonder race, the cratebox derby, a thrilling miles-per hour kiddo ride in a homebuilt racecar on a hill on the south end of town, once again a part of Spring Valley’s Ag Days.
Merkel explained how the derby was towed back to be part of Ag Days after the Fins and Films board of directors sponsored the fast-forward fun for a few years, citing that “this spring, the people at Fins and Films contacted us about the Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby because they didn’t have enough volunteers to make it happen, and they asked if we wanted to take it over.” She continued, “My husband, Shawn, wanted to continue this event, but unfortunately, we were always on vacation. We thought about asking the people at Ag Days if we could do it… it’s Saturday, August 17, and we have about a dozen kids already registered.”
After registration online, the derby begins – if one wants to build a car from the kits available at Ace Hardware in Spring Valley – with constructing a wooden vehicle that can be decorated with everything from standard racing stripes to rainbows and unicorns but most importantly must be roadworthy. Merkel shared, “You do not have to build your own cars. We have the original cars and have kept them in good condition, so kids can borrow a car. The registration fee is $20, and that’s really because we can’t race 100 cars. There are two classes of racers – one for kids six to nine years old and another for kids ten and up. Kids need to bring a helmet… there are flyers around town and at the banks, and on the economic development authority’s website where you can register and pay. We want people to know that registration is continuing to be accepted and that if kids are on the hill and have a helmet, they can participate.”
She pointed out that the young drivers will encounter at least one “whee-eee” moment as they’re launched from the starting trailer on South Washington Avenue, a street over from where Fins and Films held it on the equally steep South Broadway slope, and their departure from that trailer will include a speedometer-clocking rate that just might scare or embolden them and terrify their spectating parents and grandparents. “We’re working together with the Little Huskers race and the fishing contest, which are at the same time, and we will move them in their bracket and continue racing after the parade. The other reason we moved it was that the vendor market is in Spring Creek Park, and there’s the Little Huskers race, and so we’re creating a funnel all the way to Ag Days fun. They’re guaranteed at least two races down the hill because it’s double elimination, so the first time, they can sort of get their nerves sorted out, and the second, they can race. There will be volunteers at the bottom of the hill to help them slow down, and they do not have to pull themselves back up the hill because we will have side-by-sides to do that.”
Merkel commented that racing in the Top of the Hill is more than just an event for the junior drivers. “I think it’s just the fun, the fun of racing. It’s the thrill of racing and to see if you won.” It’s also being cheered by “parents and grandparents” who may be rooting for a youngster, offering a family experience. “It’s making memories, fun summer experiences. Kids can be the talk of the town and have their five seconds of fame.” For more information on the Top of the Hill Cratebox Derby, log onto the derby’s Facebook page or the Spring Valley Economic Development Authority’s website at www.springvalleyeda.org.
Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325
