Delaware's "Pumpkin Chunking" Festival - Catapulting Pumpkins

[TorchTheWitch]

I can't believe I've never heard of this before since I live so close. Bunch of nuts make slingshots, catapults, trebuchets, and pneumatic air cannons and compete in flinging pumpkins the farthest (but I'm sure it's the blig splat that's the fun part). I hope I haven't missed this year's competition... this is one party I gotta check out!



http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/26/smashing_pumpkins/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin_chunking
Punkin' Chunkin' is the annual World Championship pumpkin-throwing contest held the first weekend after Halloween in Sussex County, Delaware originally starting in 1986. Competing teams construct and fire a variety of pumpkin-launching devices, including catapults, trebuchets, centrifugal machines, and pneumatic air cannons. Contestants compete in divisions with machines of the same type. Currently, the longest distances have been in excess of 4300 feet, fired from pneumatic air cannons. About 100 teams (including the youth divisions) compete. Due to the space required as the machines are upgraded to fire the pumpkins farther and farther, the event has moved several times from where it first began in Millsboro with the 2007 event being held outside Bridgeville near Coverdale, Delaware.

Although the pumpkin cannons typically shoot farther than other types of launchers, each type is usually present every year and compete in different categories, including height, fan favorite, straightness, and most importantly, range. Each launcher gets the best of three shots, with duds (pumpkin pie in the sky) counting as zero feet. Launchers typically hurl white pumpkins because they can better withstand the forces of launch than the regular orange ones. Each chunk is then marked with a small, color coded flag by officials in the chunking zone on ATVs. The sole fatality of the contest has been a duck hit by a hurled pumpkin.

There is also a carnival area for spectators with amusement rides and food vendors. Locals can enter their favorite pumpkin recipes in the cooking contest.

Since 2004 there has also been an European Championship in Bikschote, Belgium. The European record is 460 meters. There are also smaller "chunks" elsewhere across the United States.


Mustn't forget the protective headgear!...



On Edit ..... whoops! forgot to ad a YouTube video!... definitely a must see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n44aNYAyzI

[Beerboy]

1. Thanks for reminding me!

There's another way cool primitive Roman military pumpkin-launcher, a huge cross-bow called Ballista.
Nothing disposes of used up Halloween detritus than archaic medieval machines!

[Buck Turgidson]

2. World Championship PunkinChunkin in Delaware.

Crazy mix of dangerous mechanical equipment with rednecks, farmers, tech-geeks and very little supervision.

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/main.htm

It's difficult to believe your eyes when the big air cannons shoot an eight pound pumpkins over 4000 ft.

[seemunkee]

3. Word is they will break the 1 mile mark this year

[Buck Turgidson]

5. I don't think the cornfield is big enough.

So many shots end up in the woods at the end of the field. Only a very narrow slot for those long guns.

[lost-in-nj]

4. Delaware, Pumpkin Chunking, LynnSin

ok it makes sense now


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

lost

[LynneSin]

6. who is LynnSin

:shrug:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. The radio show I listen to in the morning did that recently

They shipped in a pumpkin cannon and shot them off at cars and other stuff.

[LynneSin]

8. I've lived in Delaware now for 6+ years and I've yet to attend a festival

but then again - I'm a bit of a snob, I rarely go south of the Canal

[HERVEPA]

9. Pumpkins shot from cannon into the water

near Pea Patch Island (Fort Delaware).
They usually don't go very far, as they have to stop and pay a toll at the end of the cannon.

[LiberalEsto]

10. At the National Zoo in DC

the elephants are treated to pumpkins around this time of year. They get to do a lot of stepping and splatting to break the pumpkins open, if you're into that.

[Phillycat]

11. Very muddy, and very drunk.

That's how I remember Punkin Chunkin. :D