BISBEE – Planning for Independence Day often includes barbecues, fireworks and a baseball game. But a small town near the southern tip of Arizona hosts an event unfamiliar to many Arizonas: the Bisbee Coaster Race.

This celebration, which features cars like the Soapbox Derby, usually draws thousands of people. Community residents and families from all over the state flock south to witness him one of the most unique events of the year.

“It’s time to go home. After the Phelps Dodge Corporation closed down here, everyone scattered with the wind,” said former Bisbee mayor WJ “Jack” Porter, who said the mines closed in the mid-1970s. talked about the company. “And they still come back for Independence Day. The fourth time they come back is on the way home.”

rich history

The community of Cochise County is known for its unique history. Bisbee became a copper, silver and gold mining town in his late 1800s, but was also known as a tough life town with its taverns and Brewery Gulch entertainment district.

As time went on, immigrants came pouring in from all over the world. By 1900, about 6,000 people had found their way there.

Bisbee is known for its rich history, including America’s oldest baseball stadium, Warren Ballpark, and Arizona’s oldest continuously operating bar, St. Elmo. (Photo Credit: Bruce Yuan Yue Bi/Getty Images)

Bisbee is home to America’s oldest baseball stadium, the Warren Ballpark. The annual “Copper City Classic Vintage Baseball Tournament” is held, with teams from Arizona to Colorado playing his 1800s-style baseball. Bisbee is also home to St. His Elmo, Arizona’s oldest continuously operating bar, and Copper Queen, an continuously operating hotel.

“There was a very strong sense of family and community there, and that was one of the great things about Fourth of July. said. Fullerton is the former organizer of the Fourth of July coaster race. “People who have grown up and left will come back and restore family ties.”

For more than a century, Bisbee has celebrated Independence Day with parades, sporting events, picnics and fireworks. In the town’s early days, Independence Day festivities helped integrate immigrants into American culture.

“We love coaster racing, but it’s just one way to express our celebration, our community, ourselves and our country,” Bisbee resident Pete Campbell said. “This is a celebration that demonstrates, whether you want to call it synergy or not, that the whole exceeds the sum of the parts.”

Before the advent of television and radio, speeches were a popular form of entertainment at events. During the original Independence Day celebrations, a woman from a prominent background read the Declaration of Independence.

Bisbee was a mining town, so contests such as drilling and mucking (digging and loading stone into mining vehicles) were popular. Over 10,000 spectators watched as four drilling teams competed for a $500 prize. In 1902, this was equivalent to five months’ wages for miners.

Since 1980, organizers of annual coaster races have capped junior coasters at £300 and senior coasters at £350. (Photo credit: City of Bisbee)

main event

Driller and Mucker contests are still held, but the annual coaster race is the highlight of the weekend. Racers spend thousands of dollars building their own soapbox derby-style cars and racing them from Tombstone Canyon to downtown Bisbee.

A successful coaster race requires a team effort. The town has dispatched police officers, firefighters, paramedics and Arizona rangers to ensure a safe race. All roads leading into Tombstone Canyon and Main Street will be closed during the race. The town should also block driveways to keep cars from entering the road.

The race cannot take place without the cooperation of all departments. After the 2020 and 2021 Independence Days were canceled due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2022 event has resumed, but the coaster race portion has been canceled due to lack of division.

This year everything is ready and the race is on. The town of Bisbee and its inhabitants are eager for its return.

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“It’s a lot of fun going there…I’m really looking forward to it for sure. You only get one chance and you want to make the most of it,” said former rival Grant Fullerton. “It’s probably a bit out of the minds of some of the racers, but maybe some people watching are seeing things go back to a little bit more normalcy instead of the way things used to be. Some may be excited,” in the last few years. ”

The race begins at Tombstone Canyon on Highway 80 and ends under Main Street. Competitors take him down one at a time and are assessed on speed. The road is steep and windy, with lots of twists and turns, but nothing unbearable for children.

Former racer Nigel Fullerton said, “I would say it wasn’t particularly difficult to get from the top of the course to the bottom.” “There were no areas like ‘I’m going to lose here’ or ‘I’m going to go off the track if I’m not really careful. Then you should have no problem getting off safely.”

Race organizers limit the weight of junior coasters to 300 pounds and senior divisions to 350 pounds. Coasters typically reach speeds of 40-42 mph during the race. There were no coaster speed limits until 1980, when tragedy struck.

“The speed isn’t as high as it used to be. Around 2007, 2008, it was around 50, but in the mid-’90s it was 65, 70,” Porter said. “There was no limit. There was no limit on weight, no limit on tires, no limit on brakes.”

Creativity is paramount in creating the perfect coaster for Bisbee’s annual race. “These coasters are a lot sturdier than your average soapbox derby car,” said former Bisbee resident Grant Fullerton. (Photo credit: City of Bisbee)

dark times

Adults were allowed to participate until 1980, when the 700- to 800-pound coaster spun out of control and crashed into the crowd on Main Street. As the driver crossed the finish line, only his right brake worked and he plowed into the crowd, killing two and injuring several others.

This led to the cancellation of the race from 1980 to 1993, when the race was renewed allowing only children to participate. Since 1993, the race has been divided into two divisions, a junior division for 9-12 year olds and a senior division for 13-16 year olds. Each division has about 15-25 drivers, although it varies from year to year.

Safety discussions are always at the forefront. A few weeks before the race there will be mandatory practice runs. Vehicle safety inspections, weighing and brake checks are all done. Drivers test their cars at the Warren Cutoff Road in Warren, from which organizers can assess their capabilities.

Shortly after that, a trial run on the actual course takes place to familiarize you with the track. It’s also a good idea to bike down the canyon and make a mental note of where the manhole covers are.

“(Safety measures) have always been a concern as racing has progressed over the years,” said Fullerton. “Several incidents have occurred, we have reviewed the situations that could have occurred, analyzed what happened, and developed rules and training so that we could deal with the situation and minimize the risk. I checked to see if there was anything I could do to rectify that it would happen again.

Bisbee’s annual coaster race will resume this year after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff shortages in the department. (Photo credit: City of Bisbee)

“So as things progressed, we continually fine-tuned the rules and specifications to ensure a safe race.”

It takes a lot of effort to make coasters because drivers have to build their own coasters in order to participate in the race. Creating coasters requires creativity, ingenuity, and attention to detail.

“These coasters are a lot sturdier than your average soapbox derby car,” said former Bisbee resident Grant Fullerton. “Perhaps one of the most important things is running resistance and friction, using bearings that roll as smoothly as possible to minimize speed loss. We want to save as much of that energy as possible because we’re going to move forward.”

After all, hard work pays off. The amount of time it takes to build a coaster and the ability to use it to run down Tombstone his canyon creates a sense of pride and satisfaction.

“Whether I finished 1st or 6th, it was really fun to be there,” said former entrant Grant Fullerton. “Of course, getting the hardware at the end is a nice reward. It gives you bragging rights, especially if you’re competing with friends. Well, it’s obviously really exciting to win.”

For former racer Nigel Fullerton, winning a race in his final year of qualification was a great experience. But it was the atmosphere that he remembered most.

“I was always in and ranked well. …Overall it’s always been a really good experience,” he said. “It just felt like a good crescendo. I won this last year, so I can move on from that point. In fact, it was in very good shape.”

Racers will start lining up for the derby cars early Tuesday morning The race will begin at 8am, marking the start of Independence Day 2023.

As the racers cross the finish line, they are hailed by the crowd.

“The top is fairly empty except Volante. …As we approach the populated part of the track near the end, the sidewalk is completely packed and everyone is cheering,” said Fullerton. “It’s been really cool and it’s been such an amazing experience, something I’ve never had before.

“When you just go down to the bottom and you see a crowd of people gathered, you know they’re all watching you, cheering you on, applauding you and all that. It was a really great experience as a young kid.”

An experience that began over 100 years ago.