Port Jervis Flag Day celebration draws crowds for 25th Soapbox Derby

Hundreds lined Sussex Street on Flag Day as Port Jervis folded its 25th annual Soapbox Derby into a day of opening ceremony, patriotic observances and fast-moving local tradition. More than 80 racers competed in four derby classes, while the parade segment brought out Elk Lodge 645’s giant American flag and the Broome Street Marching Band.

The scene carried more weight than a single afternoon of racing. Mayor Dominic Cicalese marked the day with a proclamation recognizing Flag Day and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026, and he urged residents to properly display flags throughout the city. The celebration tied a neighborhood race to a larger civic calendar, giving the holiday a strong local identity in a city that has long defined itself by public gatherings and visible pride in place.

Orange County Legislator Tom Faggione helped introduce officials and guests, underscoring the event’s standing beyond city lines. In Port Jervis, the derby has become one of the clearest examples of how a small city can turn ceremony into community cohesion, bringing families, volunteers, youth racers and downtown spectators together on the same street.

The derby’s 25-year run also speaks to how deeply rooted it has become. It was revived a quarter-century ago by William Hockenberry and his wife Barbara, and the city renamed Sussex Street Hockenberry Hill in his memory. That history gives the course a meaning that goes beyond competition, turning the downhill stretch into a place where the city remembers its own.

The Port Jervis Soap Box Derby organization says the race is the largest local soap box derby in the world, and its eligibility rules, ages 7 to 20, keep the event anchored in youth while still drawing multigenerational crowds. The four divisions, Stock, Super Stock, Super Kids and Masters, give racers a path from first-timers to seasoned competitors, while the steady turnout shows why Port Jervis keeps showing up year after year. On a street that sits at the junction of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the derby once again became a small-city holiday with a wide civic reach.