Suds N' Sun '23
The 2023 Suds N’ Sun celebration kicked off with the 2nd annual Soap Box races.
REBECCA PETTINGILL/SPECIAL TO THE COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
The Soap Box races were held along Main Avenue in Soap Lake.
Some of the Soap Box race finishes were closer than others.
SLPD Chief Ryan Cox said he was glad to have the kids out for the Soap Box races again and hopes to continue the fun for years to come.
Most of the day’s festivities were consolidated to the Main Avenue strip in Soap Lake from SR 17 to Division Street.
Vendors interacted with festival attendees, talking about their goods or services and sharing conversation.
In order to go as fast as possible, children in the soap box races leaned forward in their cars to have the least resistance as possible.
Soap Lake Police Department Chief Ryan Cox, back, poses with the winners of the Soap Box races. From left to right in the front, Langstyn Rhoads, 9, Rayginn Baughman, 9, and Eli Leenhouts, 11.
The Seattle Cossacks, a motorcycle stunt and drill team, returned to Soap Lake streets for the second year in a row.
Members of the crowd said they loved the Cossacks’ performance.
The Seattle Cossacks have been around since 1935 making this their 85th season.
Three people lay underneath a wood ramp while two Cossacks hold a third up in the air for the motorcycle rider to go through.
The Seattle Cossacks are the last group of their kind in the nation, according to group members.
Cossacks Captain Sam Chedester, interacting with the crowd and seeing the smiles on their faces is his favorite part of performing.
The Grand Marshal of the parade, Soap Lake Police Officer Trevor Jones, rode the Batcopter during the 2023 Suds N’ Sun celebration.
The parade earned smiles from attendees as well as participants celebrating the Independence Day weekend.
A group of women rode horses during the parade.
Despite the heat, everyone seemed happy to be a part of the Suds N’ Sun parade.
Children were so excited to pick up candy during the parade.
SOAP LAKE - Soap Lake’s annual Suds N’ Sun celebration kicked off Sunday, a sunny and hot summer day to celebrate the 4th of July in a more centralized location this year.
“I had a lot of people come up to me and tell me they loved having it all together,” said local businesswoman and city council member Karen Woodhouse.
She said there is always room for improvement, and they hope to add more next year, but she thinks this year’s event went really well.
Starting off the day at 9 a.m. was the Soap Box races. With lanes made out of traffic cones, children raced in Soap Box cars from the top of Main Avenue by the flagpole, all the way down the hill to the finish line in front of Notaras Lodge. Soap Lake Police Department, who was in charge of the event, clocked cars going about 20 miles per hour down the hill with their radar.
Eli Leenhouts, 11, and first-place winner of the races said he had a lot of fun and his favorite part was going fast.
“What happens when your brakes go out?” Eli’s mom hinted to her son.
“Oh yeah, you just race with no breaks,” he said, referring to his brakes going out during part of the races. “I crashed one time,” he added, though it might be pertinent to add that all racers wore helmets and the crash resulted in no injuries - except maybe for a few traffic cones that were run over.
Rayginn Baughman, 9, took second place in the races and Langstyn Rhoads, 9, took third.
“It’s good to have all the kids back,” SLPD Chief Ryan Cox said.
This marks the second year the Soap Box races have been held after a long hiatus. Cox hopes to keep the tradition going and said there are already several businesses that have committed to purchasing an additional three to four cars for next year’s races.
Most of the day’s festivities were consolidated to the Main Avenue strip from SR 17 to Division Street. While the Soap Box races ended at the intersection of Canna, vendors and booths were set up along Maine Avenue in front of Masquers Theater. The Bonnie Guitar Band played at the gazebo at the intersection of Canna and Main as well during the afternoon. Last year, festivities were split and spread between Main Avenue and Smokiam Park, while this year was more centralized to the Main Avenue strip.
The Seattle Cossacks, a motorcycle stunt and drill team, also returned for the second year in a row. The team performs aerobatics and stunts on vintage motorcycles for crowds all over Washington State. As they did at Suds N’ Sun last year, the Cossacks drew a crowd to watch their stunts. It’s hard to say which was more fun to watch, the stunts by the Cossacks or the reactions they got from the crowd as they did them. Young and old seemed to be in awe of their skills.
If you ask Cossacks Captain Sam Chedester, interacting with the crowd and seeing the smiles on their faces is his favorite part. He has been a part of the Cossacks for 32 years.
“The team was founded in 1938 and this is our 85th season,” Chedester said. “We’re still basically using the same period bikes and that’s a part that I like, the history and keeping the history alive.”
The Cossacks used to be one of many stunt and drill teams across the nation, but are now the last.
“Back in the 30s and 40s there were tons of teams across the U.S. like us,” Chedester said. “A lot of Sheriff’s departments had teams, and now we’re the last one in the whole nation that does what we do.”
According to the Cossack’s website, the name "Seattle Cossacks" was coined because Russia's cavalry members, the Cossacks, were known all over the world for their masterful horsemanship, and motorcycles were often called "Iron Horses" in those days. Their goal is to entertain and promote a positive image of motorcycling and motorcycle safety.
“The performance venue doesn’t have to be motorcycle related for people to appreciate what we do and enjoy the show,” Chedester said.
Woodhouse said her favorite part of the celebration was the Cossacks performance. She said she not only hopes they come back next year but even goes as far to say she will do everything in her power to ensure they can come back again if they want to.
“I’ll make sure they do, if they want us, we’ll get them,” she said.
After the Cossacks performance was the parade, which the cycle performers also stuck around for and did an extra, small performance in.
The parade had vintage, muscle and race cars, horses, Grant County Fire District 7 vehicles and to the pleasure of the children in attendance, plenty of candy. Another highlight from the parade was an appearance of the Batcopter, which carried the Grand Marshal for this year’s parade; SLPD Officer Trevor Jones.
To close out all the fun and festivities was a fireworks display over the lake at 10 p.m.
“We can always do better, next year we will get more tools and money, do more advertising through Grant County,” said Woodhouse. “We hope to improve each year.”
Rebecca Pettingill is a freelance writer and photographer based in Soap Lake. Send your news tips to editor@columbiabasinherald.com.
