Harlan Smith, 7, (left) and Olivia Bowes, 5, of Key West, hold the trophy their team won for “most creative design” at Saturday’s inaugural Key Lime Pie Drop at the Key West Lighthouse. Competitors of all ages tried to outsmart gravity by finding a way to drop a Key Lime pie from the approximately 86 foot-high observation deck of the approximately 100 foot-tall Key West Lighthouse. The Key Lime Drop was the kick-off event for the annual Key Lime Festival in Key West.
Saturday, July 1, 2017, Key West Art & Historical Society partnered with Key Lime Festival producers David Sloan and Marky Pierson to offer the first Pie Drop in Key West history (that we know of!) from the approximately 86 foot-high observation deck of the approximately 100 foot-tall Key West Lighthouse. The challenge for competitors was to (in advance) create a device or container to protect the pie, deliver it to a targeted area on ground level and keep it from exploding on impact. People of all ages with a taste for engineering adventures entered the competition for a chance at fame, fortune, a trophy and a crisp $100 dollar cash prize.
Harlan Smith, 7, of Key West watches as Kevin Bowes launches a Key Lime Pie in a basket, supported by helium-filled balloons, from the approximately 86 foot-high observation deck of the approximately 100 foot-tall Key West Lighthouse on Saturday, during the inaugural Key Lime Pie Drop. Smith, Bowes and team-mate Olivia Bowes, 5, won a “most creative design” trophy at the event, which invited competitors to outsmart gravity by finding a way to drop a Key Lime pie from the deck to a target on the ground, without damaging the desert. The Key Lime Drop was the kick-off event for the annual Key Lime Festival in Key West.
Key West Art & Historical Society Executive Director Michael Gieda prepares to release a Key Lime pie ‘test-drop’ from the approximately 86 foot-high observation deck of the approximately 100 foot-tall Key West Lighthouse on Saturday, in a contraption designed by Key Lime Festival co-producers David Sloan and Marky Pierson. Trophies were awarded in categories that included condition of pie and proximity to target upon landing. Contestants competed for a cash prize and trophies awarded in categories that included condition of pie and proximity to target upon landing as well as “most creative design,” “best decorated,” and “best Key Lime theme.”
Giancarlo Espinosa films Key Lime Festival co-producer David Sloan on Saturday, July 1, 2017 as he prepares to drop a Key Lime pie from the approximately 86 foot-high observation deck of the approximately 100 foot-tall Key West Lighthouse – a ceremonial ‘drop’ that officially opened the first ever Key Lime Pie Drop competition.
