Local annual pumpkin drop raises funds for Freedom Honor Flight

GOODVIEW, Minn. (KTTC) – The Winona Elk Lodge in Goodview hosted its annual pumpkin drop Sunday afternoon. This has been a local tradition since 2010.

The event started off with a car show in the morning, featuring classic and modern vehicles for visitors. In the afternoon, organizers dropped various sizes of pumpkins, watermelons, and water balloons from about 150 feet up in the air with a crane.

According to the event's coordinator, Arnie Jackson, a city in Wisconsin inspired him with its pumpkin drop tradition. After he brought this event home, it has been a smash hit ever since.

"We started out with the ladder truck from the Goodview Fire Department," Jackson said. "We would put the watermelons and pumpkins on the end of the ladder, raise the ladder up, and push it over the truck. That was our start of the pumpkin drop. We have now graduated to this 150-foot crane."

The event raised money for Freedom Honor Flight —an organization that flies veterans to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials built in their honor. Jackson said it costs about $550 for each veteran to take this flight.

"We've had quite a few veterans out of the Winona Elks Lodge here that we have sent on the Freedom Honor Flight. It's a good thing for us to do, because a lot of our members are of that age."

This year, organizers were able to get a 200-pound pumpkin for the drop. Jackson shared last year's pumpkin was even bigger, weighing almost 300 pounds.

"Today is such a beautiful day," he said. "I've done this in the snow in the past, and this is one of those beautiful days that we're having a great time, and people are actually out wandering through and a lot of spectators [are here] and we're raising money."