Harvest Festival

The little boy in a tiny polyester Superman suit winds up, gripping the giant neon softball in his tiny paw. Pastor Nate Garn braces himself against the tiny strip of wood separating him from the cold water below. The little Superman releases the ball with unexpected force. Pastor Nate prepares for the worst as the ball sails through the air. The ball connects with the target triggering the bottom to drop right out from the victim. The little Superman squeals with joy as Pastor Nate plummets into the icy tub.

The dunk tank came back strong this year and is a huge success at this year’s Harvest Festival. It is easy to see what is so exhilarating about knocking people into the tub, but what about the brave souls who volunteered to be violently thrown into a vat of water on a blustery October night? We grabbed a few of these daredevils and grilled them on the ins and outs of this seemingly deranged experience.

So, what persuaded you to do this in the first place?
Pastor Nate Garn (NG): “Logan Brinkley yelled at me and said, ‘You will be doing this!’ So I really had no other choice.”
Senior Bryce Ely (BE): “I was just asked the day of, so it was a spur of the moment decision.”

Tell us, was the water as cold as it looked?
NG: “No, it wasn’t, it was actually kind of warm after awhile. But at first it was cold….man, I hated that thing."
BE: “It wasn’t bad at all, I had a wetsuit on so I was pretty warm."

What kind of things would you say to persuade people to knock you down?
NG: “I said, ‘You throw like a girl!’ and ‘I’m not even scared because I KNOW you won’t be able to hit it!’ I even told some kids they could move up if they wanted; I didn’t care because I was so confidant they wouldn’t be able to hit it"
BE: “I said things like ‘I’ve seen better arms on a chair!’ and ‘Prove you’re a man and knock me down!.” I also would call people out like, ‘Hey you in the blue, I know you can’t knock me down!’"

How many times would you estimate that you were dunked?
NG: “Maybe thirty, it was crazy. It was like every other throw I was getting dunked. I think one kid spent like twenty bucks on me!”
BE: “I would estimate twenty-two times, exactly.”

What was going through your mind when the kids were getting ready to throw the ball? NG: “I was thinking about how much I didn’t want to hurt my pinky toe again. I got knocked down on one of the first tries, and I jammed it, and it was hurting the whole time. That thing hurt bad, and that’s coming from a true manly man. “
BE: “Don’t hit the target!”

All that being said, would you ever do it again?
NG: “ Umm…..No. (laughs), But yeah I think I would.”
BE: “Yeah, it’s really fun, as long as I have my wetsuit on!”


By: Ashton Buccola, 12th grade