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your homegrown newspaper October 11, 2023
Vol. 20, No. 4
Pumpkins fall from sky at St. Ignatius airport
Unique fundraiser collects money for annual fireworks show Town council pg. 5
Transit app pg. 6
Sports pg. 16
Story and photos by Beau Biggs for the Valley Journal
ST. IGNATIUS — The community came together on Saturday, Oct. 7, to watch pumpkins drop out of an airplane at the St. Ignatius Airport. The event was held as a fundraiser for next year’s Good Old Days fireworks show. Blackfoot Communication and the Brett Thoft Memorial Foundation sponsored the event along with several others. The Brett Thoft Memorial Foundation was giving out coats for any child who needed one. There were also plenty of things for the kids to do at the event, including face painting. Apple bobbing drew in participants as folks dunked their heads into a barrel of water and at-
tempted to bite into an apple, no hands allowed. Another line was filled with people waiting for
the free barbeque with burgers and hot dogs. To win at the pumpkin drop, participants needed
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to buy a ticket. Pumpkins were then dropped out of the airplane and landed on a square with numbers. If a person’s ticket matched the number the pumpkin landed on, they won $250. Pilot Mike Kuefler said, “There was a lot of planning that went into dropping the pumpkins. You have to be at the
right height and stay at a consistent speed (while flying) or the pumpkin will miss, and then, we have to make another pass.” During drop four, the airplane made a couple passes before finally getting the pumpkin on target. To drop a pumpkin, it takes three people: the
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