File photos/SHELLEY HANSON ABOVE: CHILD RACERS wave American flags while participating in last year’s opening ceremonies for the Soap Box Derby in Martins Ferry.

MARTINS FERRY — The Great Race Soap Box Derby slated for Sunday will be the last one sponsored by the Martins Ferry Chamber of Commerce, said chamber Executive Director Dorothy Powell.

Powell said this year’s event will be the 25th sponsored by the chamber — and the last to be sponsored by the group, as the chamber and its committee members are feeling burned out by trying to plan the race every year. Each year it has become more difficult to get children and parents interested in the race, and it also has been difficult finding new committee members to help. Many children also just have other interests and activities they would rather do instead, Powell added.

However, Powell said she hopes a new group of people will step in and take over the planning of the race so it can continue next year and in years beyond.

“If no one is interested it will be end of the soap box derby here in Martins Ferry,” Powell said. “If anyone else is interested in taking over the race, we would be happy to sit down with them go over what they need to know.

“It doesn’t take an extreme amount of time, you just have to have dependable people to volunteer and do what needs to be done. After being on the committee for 25 years, a lot of people are tired,” she said, noting she did not want to speak for individual members. “We don’t have any new people stepping up to take charge to be involved with it.

“We’re hoping someone will step up and volunteer to take it over. At this point, the chamber is done sponsoring it.”

Powell said this year the committee was concerned it would not enough have children sign up to have the race — at 20 were needed. After getting the word out to the schools, however, participants exceeded that number. The race’s opening ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. on Hanover Street, and the race starts at 10 a.m. Drivers must be between 8 and 15 years old to participate, weigh no more than 110 pounds and be less than 5 feet tall.

Twenty-eight children are signed up to participate this year. They are:

Jacob Theaker, car No. 008;

David Maguire, A-4;

Josie Hancock, 1;

Julia Hancock, 7;

Kionna Brown, 9;

Peyton Johnson, 10;

Mia Apostolec, 11;

Hailey Romshak, 15;

Addison Baker, 19;

Alexander Schnelle, 23;

Trey Dunn, 29;

Dominic Serrano, 30;

Lydia Masters, 37;

Preston Apostolec, 41;

Katelyn Apostolec, 42;

Sarah N. Schnelle, 44;

Juliana Elerick, 50;

Riley Richardson, 86;

Hunter Theil, 96;

Demitris Briggs, 99;

Ralen Arnold, 113;

Kash Brown, 231;

Jason Duvall, 274;

Lola Stevenson, 316;

Jacob Rinkes, 418;

Brianna Sellers, 486;

Miranda Volan, 740; and

Edward Bell III, 1907.