Brattleboro Soapbox Build Party A Success

Three carts built, camaraderie shared, good times rolled

Despite the brief downpour, the good times rolled, and three new carts were birthed in the parking lot of the new Renew in Brattleboro, VT, Saturday afternoon, July 18, 2026.

Daniel Kornguth pulled out all the stops, and all his easy up tents, to keep the builders dry as they cut, chopped, screwed, welded and otherwise affixed various scrap parts together to create the rolling art that will be raced in both the Brattleboro and Montague soapbox races later this summer.

People came from as far away as Leverett and Erving, MA, to learn some tricks and grab some spare parts to bring home for their own projects.

"A small yet mighty brigade of racers were on hand in the spirit of comaraderie to build their carts, which is exactly what the Montague Soapbox Races is all about", said Jon Dobosz, director of the race and Montague Parks and Rec Department. "We look forward to seeing them on our hill!"

Daniel Kornguth, manager of the Brattleboro race, said "We had a fruitful, albeit torrential build party this weekend! With spontaneous visits from two radio stations as well as surprise and exciting visits from perspective soapbox race cart creators and other members of the community, we made a lot of progress on various peoples' carts and look forward to seeing them in both the Kornguth Soapbox and Montague Soapbox races!"

Kornguth continued, "I’m always amazed by what people can accomplish when they just put one foot in front of the other and see what happens. Many of the best soapbox carts I’ve ever seen were built with no plans, just inspiration and letting the materials speak for themselves. This weekend's build party was no exception. Tellman’s steering mechanism almost designed itself, and Kevin’s cart was itself a reflection of Kevin’s dynamic and indomitable spirit. Mik was able to continue to tinker and make subtle but important improvements on his grandson’s vehicle."

Brattleboro's Kornguth Soapbox race will happen on Sunday, August 9th, at the I-91 Exit 1 Industrial Park. Racers need to check in by 10:00 am. There is no advanced registration. Just show up.

The Montague race, held Sunday, September 27th, however, needs pre-registration, found on the homepage of the website. Entry deadline is Wednesday, September 23rd at noon. Entry fee is $25 early bird, $30 starting September 1st.

Get your gearrrrr on, and get yourself a cart for the only two soapbox races in the area!

Posted: to Montague Soapbox Race News on Sat, Jul 18, 2026
Updated: Mon, Jul 20, 2026