The annual pumpkin drop put on by First Fridays took place Friday, Oct. 4, a tradition that has spanned a decade.
Rick’s Produce proudly and kindly supplied the biggest pumpkin manageable, and the University of North Alabama provided the much-needed lift in order to get it high in the air.
Although Rick’s Produce is a local business, they travel and source from a number of areas in the state of Alabama, specifically to find the biggest pumpkin for this particular drop.
The Downtown Florence Alliance h2oped to see a pumpkin that weighed more than 225 lbs, which was what the community saw last year. This year’s pumpkin weighed in at 145 lbs.
As with most First Fridays, there was a collection of local vendors, who were selling items such as jewelry, wood art and clothing. Multiple food trucks were also in attendance. Additionally, to build up to the pumpkin drop, there were a couple of entertainment performances. The Florence Academy of Fine Arts performed a routine at 6 p.m. on Tombigbee Street. Later, at 6:45 p.m., a flash mob led by LaDarius Prince took the audience by surprise, performing to Rihanna’s “Disturbia.”
UNA students were encouraged to attend the pumpkin drop in order to support the community, but this event is widely anticipated by people of all ages. Children tend to show the most excitement, but there were jaws dropped by everyone, including young adults, parents and even the eldest in the crowd.
The drop happened promptly at 7 p.m. in front of Mugshots, right in the middle of Court Street, which happens to be the heart of downtown Florence. As early as thirty minutes prior, a crowd began to form around the well-decorated lift, with the audience highly anticipating the first pumpkin.
“The looks on the kids’ faces when they see the splatter on the street,” said Chris Stangel of the Downtown Florence Alliance. “It’s a fun, whimsical way of approaching Halloween.”
To properly welcome the first pumpkin, Stangel started a countdown that all the kids in the front row joined in on. As soon as the countdown ended, the lift’s basket began to flip, and the crowd screamed in excitement. The pumpkin made an audible splat on the street, and kids turned to their parents in amazement.
When the craze died down, volunteers helped hoist the second pumpkin into the lift. Again, a countdown ensued, and the anticipation built once again. This splat was much more audible.
The third and final pumpkin was loaded into the lift. When this one hit the ground, candy spilled out, leading the crowd to swarm under the caution tape. Along with candy, kids proudly showed their parents any remainder of pumpkin they could get their hands on.
Overall, the pumpkin drop proved to be the ultimate success, as every member in the crowd seemed to be disappointed when it was over. The final First Friday of the year will be held on Nov. 1.