MOSS POINT, Miss. (WLOX) – Thermoplastic wheels rolled across Main Street in Moss Point as the Deborah Washington Memorial Soap Box Derby marked its 33rd racing competition.

Homemade gravity-powered carts simultaneously raced to pass the finish line.

“Whenever you go, it’s like you go so fast you can feel the wind. It’s just amazing,” racer Cassadee Lawson said.

“It was scary and fun at the same time,” soap box racer Aaleyah said.

Families lined the streets, cheering as each race began.

“If your child participates, they start learning how to drive, cause you gotta stay in your lane,” Gladys Vaughn said.

Vaughn is breast cancer warrior Deborah Washington’s mother. Washington spearheaded the event decades ago, starting with seven participants; now, more than 40 racers compete in Moss Point.

“Deborah was the type person she would keep you laughing. She was a comedian, she was everything,” Vaughn said.

It’s all because of Washington that the competitive race exists today. Vaughn says she would be blown away by how much it has grown.

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