The grit of asphalt, the roar of the track, and the cheering of children echoed through the city of Moose Jaw yesterday. The final Soapbox races of the year concluded as the end of August comes into sight. The races have been going on since 1975, and they're still going strong.

The Moose Jaw and District Soapbox Races brought in 24 different teams, 12 from both the junior and senior categories. Kids from all over Moose Jaw, Regina, and even as far as Swift Current were at the event, and one of the kids, Joshua Lavadiere, gave a rundown of his race after crossing the finish line.

"Well, my soapbox car is S3 Enterprises, car number 22, it is so far racing pretty good, but there's always room for improvement," said Lavadiere, who went on to explain what he thinks kids who are interested should know. "I would have to say it's a great program, you can trust me because this is my 6th year. It's a great program, you can make lots of friends, and go fast."

One of the association volunteers, Ernie Penney, who has been with the Soapbox Races for over 15 years, spoke on how the event brings the community together.

"There are lots of memories, I'll tell ya, you see the kids come down here, they're just ecstatic from winning the race, they get out, they give each other handshakes. I've got a great group of guys down here, Mark and his group, they come here and they catch the cars every year, I'll tell ya, it's amazing how the public pulls together for this race every year.'

Ernie explained how much of the literal heavy lifting and work is done by a group from the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living. Along with volunteers from the Soapbox Races Association, many thanks were given to the sponsors for each of the carts, as the races couldn't function without them.