Time flies when you're having fun, and there's never a shortage of fun, free stuff to do in Brooklyn in the summer.
And much like summer itself, the boxcar racers were whizzing by this weekend too—flying down the hill on 17th street, for Open Source Gallery's annual Soapbox Derby.
Over thirty colorful four-wheeled (and occasionally, three-wheeled) creations were registered for this year's competition. Things got going around noon, when the kids kicked off the competition, followed by the adults at 1 p.m.
Designs included a Ghostbusters themed racer, a car constructed for backwards racing, and even a carousel horse car driven by Open Source founder Monika Wuhrer. Judges picked the best cars based on originality in design, as well as engineering and speed.
"I thought there was a lot of creativity, as there always is," said Mike Brennan, whose son Kevin won last years' race. "The fun part is watching the kids and their enjoyment and looking at those cars and how much originality they have going on."
The Derby is preceded by three weeks of summer camp for kids, where Wuhrer and artists Hubert Dobler and Raphaela Riepl hold instructional workshops that teach the kids how to build their own boxcars out of recycled materials.
"My son came to this camp last year, and loved it," said Danielle Mowery, whose son drove the Pie/Cake car. "I only wish there could be more races throughout the summer."
"This was my first year, and I thought it was hard," said racer Henry Newell, 11. "But it's a pretty good idea, and it's pretty fun."
