Events: Big Race Weekend

If you’re a racing fan, this weekend will be BIG. Merging two amateur racing events, Cincinnati’s family-oriented BIG Race Weekend lets racing fans young and old catch both the Soap Box Derby - where kids as young as eight drive and parents act as the pit crew - and the Mini Grand Prix (MGP) - a faster-paced race reserved for adults. 2009 marks the MGP’s 20th anniversary, which continues to be a major fund-raiser for the Arthritis Foundation. This year, the MGP returns to downtown Cincinnati for the first time in five years. Founded in 1934, The Soap Box Derby is a national youth racing program. The Cincinnati Soap Box Derby is a nonprofit organization that works with local youth, crossing racial, gender and class lines to teach them the value of competition and finishing what they started. The BIG Race Weekend lasts from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. Get details here.