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PHOTOS: The Big Drop

Members of the Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club dropped thousands of ping pong balls from a lift above the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market this morning as part of a fundraiser. The Big Drop supports scholarships and donations to The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success and The Leaders, Believers, Achievers Foundation.

Aug. 2, 2025 3:19 pm

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Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club members Amy March and Pete Teahan catch ping pong balls in buckets during The Big Drop at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. During the event, the wind picked up and pushed the ping pong balls over to the side.(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club member Amy March holds up her bucket to catch ping pong balls during The Big Drop at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. This is the eighth year the Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club has hosted the Big Drop, and the sixth year it has been hosted at the Farmers Market. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club members Larry Kudej (left) and Mike Wagner pour ping pong balls into a trash can before the Big Drop at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Some of the proceeds from the event will go towards scholarships for Cedar Rapids high school students to attend Kirkwood Community College(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club members lift up the tarp to pour ping pong balls back into a container during the The Big Drop at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Some of the proceeds from the event will go towards scholarships for Cedar Rapids high school students to attend Kirkwood Community College(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Thousands of ping pong balls sat in containers before the Big Drop hosted by Cedar Rapids West Rotary at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Roughly 4,000 ping pong balls were dropped onto a tarp. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Lucas Brown, 5, helps pick up ping pong balls after the Big Drop hosted by Cedar Rapids West Rotary at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Roughly 4,000 ping pong balls were dropped onto a tarp. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club member Pete Eddington answers a community member’s questions about the Big Drop during the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Participants purchased ping pong ball packages for a chance to win a first-place prize of $3,000. (Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club member Pete Teahan tells community members that it’s almost time to drop the ping pong balls before the The Big Drop at the Farmers Market in southeast Cedar Rapids on Saturday, August 2, 2025. The Big Drop is an annual fundraiser for the Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club for scholarships and donations to The Academy for Scholastic and Personal Success and The Leaders, Believers, Achievers Foundation.(Elizabeth Wood/The Gazette)

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