Mountain Park Elementary students got a rare treat on Thursday when candy fell from the sky.

Flying overhead, 91-yr-old retired Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen dropped candy from a small airplane. More than 860 students participated in the re-creation event, which simulated the Berlin Airlift candy drop Halvorsen started for the Berlin children at the end of World War II.

Students gathered eagerly in Leita Thompson Memorial Park while Halvorsen dropped dozens of candy-filled handerchiefs from the air. School spokesperson Jan Heston called it a "once in a lifetime" event for students.

"His story is printed in the 5th grade textbooks, so many of the students had already studied him. Hearing the students scream when the candy appeared was a highlight, but also, the hour he spent talking to the 4th- and 5th-graders on Wednesday was amazing. He spoke without note cards while he told stories of his experience in the war and dropping candy and food to the people of Berlin," said Heston.