“Gravity always wins,” an onlooker pontificated as a smashed-up and spray-painted van was hurled off a cliff for a cheering audience. Indeed it does.

This July 4th holiday the traveled to Glacier View to witness the town’s unique celebratory tradition: flinging cars. Off a cliff.

Party organizer Arnie Hrncir assures viewers that the mess made is cleaned up, and vehicle fluids and glass are removed from cars before they go a-flying. The event takes place on private property.

A reader who had apparently lived in this part of Alaska wrote in to tell me the wreckage from this event is not cleaned up with any kind of legitimacy. Which is a real shame.

The car-fling looks like a lot of fun, but probably isn’t worth polluting the soil with the various poisons that make up car-puke.

Apparently the ’90s Pathfinder you see flinging set records for estimated speed (55 MPH) and distance (100 yards of flight). Alaska Dispatch News reports that car launching has been part of Glacier View’s July 4th party since 2005.

The Ford van didn’t go so hot. Still fun to watch, though.

“Any little kid’s dream is to roll a rock down a hill.” Hrncir’s son Dustin told the Dispatch. “This is times 10.”

Dream big, kids.

Hat tip to Grant!