Glacier View, near the toe of the Matanuska Glacier, celebrated the Fourth of July with lots of food, a parade and an airplane flyover. They also launched three vehicles off the bluff. The fourth, a Ford van, came off the guide wire at the last moment and crashed head-on into a bulldozer. Party organizer Arnie Hrncir said the team has never launched three vehicles before at the party. “Any little kid’s dream is to roll a rock down a hill. This is times 10,” said Arnie’s son, Dustin Hrncir.
Hrncir estimates the third car off the jump, an early-90s Nissan Pathfinder, reached 55 miles per hour on the 500 foot runway, and traveled a distance of 100 yards in the air — both records for the celebration.
Arnie Hrncir reported 550 guests, the largest crowd ever. Over 500 pounds of pork, beef and chicken were served at the party that first started in 1996. The car launching began in 2005.