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Thank You Everyone for a Great 2011 VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival / Results

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The last pumpkins have been hurled and the 3rd Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is in the books.

We apologize for the delay in getting this posted. We would like to thank the following people for helping us put on a tremendous 3rd Annual Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival under difficult, wet conditions this year:
  • Mark Willis (did a great job as MC)
  • Mike Dunn (music and PA system)
  • John Smyth (music)
  • Mike Gladu (record keeping, he didn't even get a chance to eat he was so busy the whole festival)
  • Len Ambro (surveyor)
  • Mark and Laurie Boyden for the use of their farm and help organizing.
  • Lamoille Family Center for running the kids activities
  • Russell Baum for helping with running the festival
  • Bruce Wallace for helping with running the festival
  • Cambridge Rotary club for the food and parking, and helping get the word out

We would also like to thank all of our sponsors for the great T-shirts and their support of the festival, the Cambridge Area Rotary, and the Lamoille Family Center. Here is a list of our VTPC sponsors:
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First, we would like to give special recognition to team Dante's Inferno. They were the first team to show up from Massachusetts. They were totally within the rules and they won the heavyweight competition on their first try! Plus, they brought a counter-weight full of energizing team spirit. Congratulations Dante's Inferno, great job.

Also, thank you Weapons Of Medieval Destruction 2.0 for having a truly amazing machine and throwing over 1.7 football fields. You were easily the show stopper, even though your machine was too heavy for the formal competition.

The Pumpkins Bane team also had an amazing machine, if not for Weapons of Medieval Destruction, you would have stolen the show, and you were only somewhat over the weight limit.

Again, thanks JJ Spanier, a truly powerful demonstration of sky bowling.

Thank you to all our competitors. We hope to see you all next year.
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Here are the official results of the 2011 Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival trebuchet hurling contest:

All distances are in feet. Then for the lower divisions the actual distance of the throw is scaled up to the distance the trebuchet would have thrown if it were 10 feet tall (over 3 rounds). Lightweights are scaled up by 2.9 and middleweights are scaled up by 1.71.

Overall Winner / Best Design: SUNY Plattsburgh 223.33 feet (scaled)

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Lightweight Division: ages 10 and under
Max. weight of trebuchet = 20 lbs.
max. height = 41"
Projectile weight: at least 3 ounces

First place: Super Stunners (Brian Jadus, Alex Jadus, Jeff Marvin and Kyle Marvin) Trebuchet: Vegetable Splatter

Actual distance: Round 1: 36.6 feet, Round 2: 43.5 feet, Round 3: 44.0 feet
Scaled distance: Rd 1: 106.87' , Rd 2: 127.02' , Rd 3: 128.5'

Second place: Terminator (Cambridge Cub Scouts)

Actual: 2.4', 33.7', 35.4'
Scaled: 70.08', 98.4', 103.37'
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Middleweight Junior Division: Ages 17 and under
Max. weight = 100 lbs.
max. height = 70"
Projectile weight at least 1 lb.

First place: Pumpkin Chuckin Airlines (Daniel and Michael Wallace)

Actual: 108.2', 102', 75.9'
Scaled: 185.02', 174.42', 129.79'

Second place: Team Moving Forward (Annie Levine, Grady Ward)

Actual: 2.1', 0, 3.3'
Scaled: 3.59', 0, 5.64'
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Middleweight Open Division: open to all ages
Max. weight = 100 lbs.
max height = 70"
Projectile weight = 1 lb.

1st place: SUNY Plattsburgh (Taylor Trombley, Jaime Smith, Randy Bissik, Carl Comstock, Tobey Bettbauger)

Actual: 95.5', 92.2', 130.6'
Scaled: 163.31', 157.66', 223.33'

Second place: Dead Weight (Brad Gustafson, Maever Gustafson, Evelyn Gustafson, Matt Gustafson, Christy Gustafson)

Actual: 52.6', 63.6', 84.3'
Scaled: 89.95', 108.76', 144.15'

Third place: Team Wagner (Sam Wagner, Amanda Wagner)

Actual: 31.6', 41.4', 57.1'
Scaled: 54.04', 70.79' , 97.64'

Fourth place: Looking for Satisfying Splat (Olivia Doty, John Doty, Jim Cobb, Charlie Cobb, Max Cobb, Liam Nelson, Megan Nelson, Rachel Bombardier)

Actual: 52.5', 47.3', 50'
Scaled: 87.38', 80.88', 85.5'

Fifth place: Team Jordan (Don Jordan, Chris Jordan, Johnnie Jordan)

Actual: 13.8', 5.9', 37.9'
Scaled: 23.6', 10.09', 64.81'

Sixth place: Tres Bucket (Cambridge Scouts)

Actual: 5.7', 30.4', 27.7'
Scaled: 9.75', 51.98', 47.37'

Seventh place: Cambridge Troop 39 (Zach Weston, Dakota Brousseau, Ryan Beauregard, Eric Engel)

Actual: 0, 6.2', 8.7'
Scaled: 0, 10.6', 14.88'
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Heavyweight Division: open to all ages
Max weight = 500 lbs.
max height = 120"
projectile weight = 5 lbs.

First place: Dante's Inferno (Tim Brown, Ryan Brown, Kim Brown, Amanda Brown, Michelle Brown, Dan Brown)

Actual distances: Rd 1: 116.6' , Rd 2: 117.4' , Rd 3: 113.8'

Second place: Webelos Battery 2 (Pack 692)

Actual: 71.2', 85.8', 83.8'

Third place: Pumpkin's Bane (Chris McGrody, Doug North)

Overweight (not sure exactly what weight)

Distances: 281.1', 266.4', 256.8'
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Best Distance: Weapons of Medieval Destruction 2.0 (Nick Helms, Bruce Penfield)

Throw for show: overweight and over height (not sure exactly what weight)

Distances: Rd 1: 0, Rd 2: 453.2', Rd 3: 519' (best recorded distance of the day)
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We hope to have some video of the festival to post at a later date, and some news on the record attempt.

If you have any questions about the competition please contact the event organizer, Dave Jordan.

We hope to see you all back next year at the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival, on Sunday, October 7th, 2012, at the Boyden Family Farm. Happy hurling everyone!

Team Dante's Inferno

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Here are few photos of the winning heavyweight trebuchet team, Dante's Inferno from Massachusetts. It is great that a team with their sportsmanship and competitive energy won the heavyweight competition. Plus, their monogrammed hoodies had a very nice design and added to the spirit of the festival. We hope they come back next year to defend their title.

Trebuchet team Dante's Inferno
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Trebuchet team Dante's Inferno
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Trebuchet team Dante's Inferno
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The bottomline is they looked good and hurled great!

The Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Champs

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Here is an interesting article about the SUNY Plattsburgh team, our Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Champions, from this year's festival:

Members of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh Physics Club at the annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival in Cambridge, Vt., weigh their pumpkin for the Open Middleweight competition.

Jeremiah S. Papineau (October 6, 2011) / denpubs.com:
Plattsburgh State students take home gold for chuckin’ pumpkins --
Students from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh Physics Club came together last weekend for the annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival in Cambridge, Vt., putting their understanding of the laws of physics to practical use. Not only did they participate, but the students also set a record at event by launching a pumpkin more than 130 feet, landing them a first place win in their division and earning “an awesome trophy,” said Professor Ken Podolak...

New Looks for Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival blog

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The nice folks at Blogger, which is part of Google, send out an email this morning telling us that we now had a bunch of new ways for people to look at our VT Pumpkin Chuckin' blog:
Hello Bloggers!

Introducing Dynamic Views: a one-of-a-kind browsing experience that will inspire readers to explore your blog in new ways and make it easier and more interactive to discover your posts.

Choose from one of seven elegant, interactive new layouts to share your blog with the world. With features like infinite scrolling, images that load as readers browse, lightbox style posts for easy viewing, and keyboard shortcuts for quickly flipping through posts, your readers will enjoy your blog in brand new ways.
Some of these views are pretty neat, the only problem appears to be that we lose the display of the information on our right sidebar if we make one of these other "views" our default look. So we will probably stay with the so called "classic" look for now. But, please check out the new features.

Other views:
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Wow, can you believe there are only 11 months until the next Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival. The big World Championship Punkin Chunkin in Delaware is starting today. We will be following their great event and hope to post some photos and info.

World Championship Punkin Chunkin Has Started

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The World Championship Punkin Chuckin has started today in Bridgeville, Delaware. Here is a round-up of some of the news coming out of the event, which runs until Sunday, Nov. 6th.


PunkinChunkin.com:
PUNKIN CHUNKIN 2011 to Be Hosted by MYTHBUSTERS Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci --

MYTHBUSTERS: Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci
-- Pumpkins Take To The Skies in the 2011 Discovery Channel / SCIENCE Simulcast of PUNKIN CHUNKIN Thanksgiving Night, November 24, at 8:00PM (ET/PT)--

Pumpkins become projectiles once again with the return of PUNKIN CHUNKIN, the annual special that's becoming as much as part of Thanksgiving tradition as turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. The thrilling competition where "man meets machine meets mayhem" prepares for launch on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 24 at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) as a simulcast on Discovery Channel and SCIENCE.

For those unfamiliar, PUNKIN CHUNKIN is an annual extravaganza where teams (and more than 30 thousand fans) gather in a Delaware cornfield to see whose homemade contraption can propel a pumpkin the farthest. This year's event takes viewers behind the firing line, getting up close and personal with the explosive contraptions and personalities that make PUNKIN CHUNKIN define "gourd glory." No strangers to explosions of all sorts, MYTHBUSTERS' Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belleci join as hosts of PUNKIN CHUNKIN, going inside the madness to uncover the singular subcultures of these passionate participants. Now in its 26th year of competition, PUNKIN CHUNKIN has become a pop culture phenomenon, inspiring countless backyard warriors looking to recreate the wacky rituals that make up this autumnal event.

"It's the enthusiasm and fearless imaginations of these crazy geniuses that make 'The Chunk' an American tradition and a Thanksgiving mainstay," said Debbie Myers, General Manager and Executive Vice President for SCIENCE. "The competition embodies the spirit of SCIENCE like no other, and we're proud to showcase PUNKIN CHUNKIN as our premiere annual SCI SPORTS event."...

related:
Discovery.com:
Kari, Grant and Tory Get Chunked

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DoverPost.com:
Punkin Chunkin spokesman Frank Shade gabs about gourds --
Q What do you attribute its recent popularity?
A I think the biggest thing that happened was about 12 or 13 years ago the event was really, really declining in attendance. A couple of us got together and said, “What can we do to make it better?” We started getting the word out that there’s things to do at the Chunk. We took a machine to the David Letterman show, we took a machine into New York City and threw a pumpkin on the side of the Ed Sullivan Theater. Letterman never stepped foot outside and saw us, but people outside of Sussex County saw it. Then some boys in Morton, Ill., got to know about it and that’s the pumpkin capital of the world, where they can all the pumpkin for Libby’s. Some of the guys in a mechanical shop built one of the first major air cannons and brought it here to compete and promptly kicked our butts. They were having an event out there and in the pumpkin capital it was only drawing 100 people or so. We took five of our machines out there and turned their event into a two-day event and brought thousands. Then they came back and brought busloads.
Then ESPN said they heard about some lunatics out there in Delaware and brought out a news crew. The more people heard about it, it just grew exponentially. We saw crowds going from 3,000 to 4,000 people to last year we had over 100,000 people at the event. And we’re anticipating a 15 to 20 percent increase this year...
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DelmarvaNow.com:
A lifetime of Chunkin history -- Since he was 9, Jake Burton has honed his pumpkin-launching skills
When Jake Burton began participating in the World Championship Punkin Chunkin events as a teenager, he was seen as a Punkin Chunkin prodigy.

As a 9-year-old, the Milton resident and current record holder for the youth and adult air cannon categories was already adept at welding and other mechanical skills.

Now a grizzled veteran at age 24, Burton is armed with his knowledge of engineering as he and his team, Young Glory III, participate in their 10th Punkin Chunkin. They've practiced since late summer...
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Beth Stackpole / Design News:
Catapult Competition Chunks Old Punkins --
A contingent of engineers and hobbyists has big plans for all those extra pumpkins that didn't find a home on Halloween. On the first weekend in November, dozens of teams are convening in Bridgeville, Del., for the annual World Championship Punkin' Chunkin', an event that puts medieval machines like catapults and trebuchets to the test to see how far that can huck a pumpkin.

A team of engineers at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, led by David Mollenhauer, senior materials engineer at the base, takes the sport pretty seriously. Called Team ETHOS, the crew has been at its quest for six years now, having nabbed first prize in the 2009 Adult Torsion Catapult category of the competition with its Phoenix catapult, which that year pulled off a pumpkin hurl of 2,088 feet...
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But, there was also some bad news coming out of the Punkin Chunkin.

Jeremy Tucker / WBOC.com:
Theft of Equipment at Punkin Chunkin --
BRIDGEVILLE, Del.- Organizers of Punkin Chunkin said they nearly had to cancel the event after tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment was stolen from the Bridgeville farm where the event is held.

Police said someone stole more than $33,000 worth of fence posts and electronic equipment from the farm.

Organizer Frank Shade said the event was placed in jeopardy.

"Without the boundaries we couldn't have put the event on. Without the electric we could not have had entertainment on the stage, ice machines, the PA system and so on. This is all the necessary equipment just to produce the event," Shade said.

National organizations and a local electric company have pitched in. They found replacement posts for the 12 miles of fencing at Punkin Chunkin...
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The Science Channel is also running a triva contest for Punkin Chunkin on Twitter. We are following them on Twitter so we have shot at the contest. Check out the rules and follow @ScienceChannel with hash tag #PunkinChuckin on Twitter:

@SCIENCECHANNEL #PunkinChunkin POP QUIZ CONTEST
CONTEST ENTRY DETAILS: To enter the contest, visit http://twitter.com/ScienceChannel (the "Website"). At one (1) random time each weekday (Tuesday-Saturday, November 1-5) during the Contest Period, we will post a "Punkin Chunkin" trivia question. The first four (4) eligible people to reply to the @ScienceChannel Twitter account with the hash tag #PunkinChunkin and the correct answer will win a Grand Prize. In order to reply, the entrant must be a follower of the Science Channel Twitter Page and include the "@Science Channel" and "#PunkinChunkin" address in their response.
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Punkin Chunkin Photos

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Here are some photos from the just completed 2011 World Championship Punkin Chunkin in Delaware. It looks like some folks get a little crazy about their pumpkins.

There was a mad punkin chunker named Wayne,
Who doused his pumpkins with butane,
He ignited them with glee,
All the spectators did flee,
Sadly the poor lunatic was consumed by flame.
photos via Punkin Chunkin Facebook
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Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci from Mythbusters and the Governor of Delaware Jack Markell at the opening ceremonies of the 26th annual Punkin Chunkin Event.
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The Punkin Chunkin safety guy was BUSY all day! He made sure that nobody was behind each of the machines as they launched. The pumpkins could have gone backwards, and his job to was ensure you weren't in the line of possible backfire. Thanks safety guy!!!

photos via Flickr
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No, this is not an air cannon. It is a Science Channel boom camera.

Jeff DelPapa / Tool wielding ape, Card carrying NERD:
The folks from Science channel were collecting a bunch of B roll, watching as the various teams assembled their machines. They had a very long (75 feet perhaps) counter-weighted camera boom, that they use to get overhead views of the machines and firing line. As a result, they are collecting a lot of ribbing from the catapult teams. the contraption looks a whole lot like the throwing arms on various machines, and merely needs a bit more counterweight, and a sling to qualify for the Trebuchet class. (they were also "warned" to keep an eye on it at night, lest they find it scrounged by some team to make a last minute extension for, or emergency repair to their throwing arm.)
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Who knew that the Punkin Chunkin field was an annex of Area 51.

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This is where it begins: Mini Trebuchet. PunkinChunkin 2012 anyone??

Those aren't cranes in the background. They're AIR CANNONS.

photos via Grant Imahara / Twitter
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Tory Belleci / Twitter:
This place is insane. It's like The Guns of Navarone out here.
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This is what science looks like at #PunkinChunkin

photos via Kari Byron / Twitter

Where else do you get to meet a guy like Fat Jimmy? #PunkinChunkin

Punkin Chunkin Wrap Party

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Here is a round-up of some more stories and images from the World Championship Punkin Chunkin in Bridgeville, Delaware.
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DelawareOnline.com
Punkin Chunkin: Unofficials results show top launch short of record --
As many as 50,000 people may have attended this year's 26th annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition that ended Sunday at Wheatley Farm near Bridgeville after three days of competition, officials said.

Unofficial results reported by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association showed the top distance of 3,699.27 feet, scored by "Big 10 Inch" in the adult air category...

The event was hosted by Mythbusters and will be aired on the Discovery Channel in a three-hour program Nov. 24th [Thanksgiving]...
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Punkin Chunkin draws large crowd

DelmarvaNow.com:
'This place is a hoot' -- Punkin Chunkin draws huge crowd for day full of fun --
Although Jean Nixon had heard of the World Punkin Chunkin Championships and had seen excerpts of it on television, she didn't really know what to expect from the event.

The Sterling, Va., resident had a chance to experience it in all of its splendor as she was invited to the three-day event by her friends, with whom she was staying in town.

"I'm fascinated, it's amazing," she said. "The crowd is so interesting and the machines, I just can't stop looking at the fancy machines and all the work gone into throwing pumpkins."...
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DelmarvaNow.com:
High-flyin' fun at Punkin Chunkin -- Revelers rejoice on final day of Punkin Chunkin
Blue skies and low winds offered favorable conditions for the final day of the 26th annual World Punkin Chunkin Championships.

Towering air cannons ejected the squash with violent blasts of air, sometimes nearly vaporizing them in an explosion chunkers affectionately call "pumpkin pie." With the farthest-flung landing gourds more than 4,000 feet away from the launch point, the event has come a long way from its beginning in the mid-'80s, when 200 feet was a respectable goal.

Dawn Thompson's husband, Bill, basically started the event with a group of friends in their backyard...

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Missed this earlier note from WCPC competitor -
Jeff DelPapa / Tool wielding ape, Card carrying NERD:
Day 1 Summary --
Pumpkins this year are of very poor quality. They aren't as dense as past years, and even normally tough varieties are not up to the stresses of launching. Almost every Trebuchet pied their shot today, including the new version of Yankee Siege, and last years Tired Iron. The very elegant appearing Merlin managed to break its throwing arm (a regular occurrence for them, they bring spares), and Pumpkin Hammer (last years winner) had a jam involving their trigger, and had to go thru a lot of gymnastics in order to get their shot off...
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Punkin Chunkin Pageant:
Congratulations to everyone that participated in the Punkin Chunkin Pageant --


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Flickr photostream:

Pumpkins with Personality

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These are some extremely impressive pumpkin carvings by Ray Villafane. Checkout the rest of his work here at VillafaneStudios.com. Is this proof that every pumpkin really does have a personality?

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DailyArtFixx.com:
Ray Villafane: Pumpkin Carving --
Using only common clay carving tools to sculpt his pumpkins, Villafane explains his artistic method: “Not all pumpkins will look good and the most important thing about a pumpkin is its weight. You need to pick the meatiest pumpkin….I also like a pumpkin with character. One with nobly ridges is good, so that I can utilize that in the carving procedure, like with sculpting noses.

Villafane’s hobby of pumpkin sculpting was brought to a new level in 2007 when he was contacted by High Noon Entertainment and asked to participate in the Food Network’s Challenge Show, Outrageous Pumpkins. He competed as one of four professional pumpkin sculptors, impressed the judges enough to sweep all three rounds and was awarded the Grand Prize. Outrageous Pumpkins logged the highest ratings of any other Challenge episode, and a second invitation was extended to Ray in 2009. They wanted him to come back and defend his title in their Outrageous Pumpkins Challenge II. Ray defended his 2008 title and took home the 2010 Grand Prize from the Food Network’s Pumpkin Challenge II. The exposure of Ray’s style, talent and creativity amassed an all-new appreciation for pumpkin “carving”, and his artistic take on the traditional jack-o-lantern has granted him invitations from across the globe for VIP Galleries (Very Impressive Pumpkins). From the President’s Quarters in the White House to Bermuda’s Sousa’s Gardens, Ray’s pumpkins have gathered a cult-like following.
via Barry Ritholtz

Happy New Year!

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Watch some massive pumpkins getting dropped is a great way to ring in 2012.

3rd Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival Video

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Apple Dannie, AppleDannie.com, and his First Run Production put together a great video that shows you the sights and sounds of the 3rd Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival that was held on October 2nd, 2011, at the Boyden Family Farm in Cambridge Vermont. Thank you Apple Dannie!

Part 1:




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Part 2:



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Part 3:



#PumpkinChuckin

Lyme School - "Da Vinci" Day - Trebuchet

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Is there anyone out there with a big trebuchet that can help out the Lyme School in Lyme, NH on May 19th? The Lyme School is close to Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.

Please contact Tom Harkins (tharkins@lymeschool.org) if you can bring your machine in for a demonstration.
Hello Mr. Jordan,
I teach at the Lyme School in Lyme, NH. We're having a "Da Vinci" day on May 19th and part of the day is a trebuchet building competition for the students, parents, and community members. I was hoping to possibly have someone come with a big trebuchet (we're building small ones) to give a demonstration. Do you know of anyone that might be interested? ...

Thank you for your time,
Tom Harkins
Lyme School
email: tharkins@lymeschool.org
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There was a school in Lyme,
That wanted to develop creative minds.
They organized a Da Vinci Day,
Where the kids would build trebuchets.
What a brain teasing good time.
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Da Vinci Day

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The Da Vinci Day that was held by the Lyme School, on May19, 2012, was a big success. Junior trebuchet builders had a chance to show off their engineering skills.

The Lyme School Newsletter reported:
Encouraging students to think creatively, be curious, challenge themselves, take risks and be comfortable communicating their ideas. These event as well as those mentioned above are just a few of the opportunities that students have to strengthen these habits. They are also opportunities for us to have fun and appreciate how talented, knowledgeable and creative we all are (as well as get splattered by dye filled water balloons launched by trebuchets-- resulting in a Lyme version of “tie dye” - now known as “trebu-dye”).

Many have already asked whether we will have a Da Vinci Day next year and what the “Challenge Build” will be. The answer is ABSOLUTELY there will be a Davinci day! And as for what the challenge will be?... You will have to wait and see, but it will result in splatter. Thanks to all that volunteered and helped raise over $2,500 for the LIFE fund and the programs like Spanish and Inquiry Based Science.
Here are some photos from the trebuchet event at the Lyme School's Da Vinci Day:


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A very cool wheeled, red Floating Arm Trebuchet (FAT) at Da Vinci Day
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A Lyme original, Trebu-dyed shirt!

Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will Sing Anthem at Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

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Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing anthem at VT Pumpkin Chuckin'
 Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing the anthem at Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Exciting news to announce: Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will be visiting the Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th.

Chelsea Ingram, who is also the weekend meteorologist for Fox44 and ABC22 News in Burlington, VT, will sing the national anthem at the start of the Pumpkin Chuckin' competition. Chelsea will also sign some autographs, perhaps sing a few other songs, and talk about her platform issue of heart health.

During her year as Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram will travel throughout Vermont advocating her platform issue. "Raising a new generation of heart healthy adults has been a passion of mine ever since my dad was diagnosed with heart disease. It’s time for my generation, Miss Vermont and Miss America to lead a new generation; a generation where heart health is a priority, a generation where Vermonters are accountable for their health and the health of our children,” said Ingram. She will talk to various government representatives, business leaders, community groups and citizens-at-large, urging them to get involved in fostering heart health programs.

If she is crowned Miss America in January, the on-air forecaster and trained opera singer will become the first Miss Vermont to wear the national crown.

There are 139 days until Chelsea competes at the Miss America 2013 pageant in Las Vegas on January 12, 2013. She was crowned Miss Vermont on July 1st.

We are all very excited to have Chelsea visit the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival. Her goal of helping to raising a new generation of heart health adults fits very nicely with the VTPC goal of giving people a healthy and fun outdoor activity that promotes a healthy mind and body.

There are now only 41 days until the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Pre-Season Pumpkin Chuckin' Notes

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Here are some short notes as we get ready for Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' 2012
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1. Earlier Start

The 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin trebuchet competition will start at 12 noon, on Sunday, October 7th, 2012.

Please note that this year's 12 noon starting time for the pumpkin hurling is an hour earlier than last year. The first round of pumpkin hurling will begin immediately after Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, sings our national anthem at 12 noon. The gates are open to spectators at 11 am.

Competitors may start setting up their machines anytime after 8 am on the day of the competition at Boyden Family Farms. There is no mandatory time, just give yourself enough time to get checked-in, and get your machine setup so you are ready to hurl at 12 noon. Thank you.
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2. Fine Tuning the Trebs

Planning for this year's Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is getting serious. Here is a behind the scenes photo of a trebuchet design and 'optimization' meeting down in East Haddam, Connecticut on August 19th. Sorry no pictures allowed of the new trebuchet -- it is still top secret!

Trebuchet Optimization Meeting - E. Haddam, CT
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3. Makin' Fun

Jérôme Cann, who is the Program Director for Vermont's first annual Champlain Maker Faire has extended an open invitation to any and all Vermont Pumpkin Chuckers. You are invited to exhibit your machines (catapults, trebuchets, canon, etc.) and skills at their Champlain Maker Faire on Saturday, September 29, 2012. It will be held at Shelburne Farms, VT. This is on the weekend before our 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Maker Faire is not a crafts-for-sale fair, but is an event where Makers bring, share and teach what they make to other Makers and to the general public.  Participation in the event is free for those Makers that simply want to share their love of making things with other Makers and the public. There is a nominal fee for those makers wishing to sell what they make during the event.

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' organizer and competitor Dave Jordan is planning to take his new 10' trebuchet over to the Maker Faire and exhibit/demo it. If you are interesting in joining him at the faire with our own hurling machine please give Dave a call or email him. You will also need to fill out an online Maker Faire application. If you are visiting the Faire please stop by and say hi to Dave.

Champlain Maker Faire
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4. Some Huring History:
Knights standing in front of trebuchet, nervously trying to figure out where the rock will fall, from the Siege of Acre, 1189-1191, Third Crusade:

Siege of Acre, 1189-1191, Knights in front of trebuchet

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5. Punkin Chunkin Catapult 2012 Election Prediction

Roman Revenge, a 7 ton Punkin Chunkin catapult competitor lets chance take a stab at predicting the winner of the 2012 presidential election. One side of the 10 lb bowling ball was labeled "Romney 12," and the other side was labeled "Obama 12." The winner will have their name face up of course...

Roman Revenge does not endorse any presidential candidate.

Countdown to 4th VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

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There are only 22 days until the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th, at the Boyden Family Farm in Cambridge, VT.  A few notes:

Here is the press release for this year's festival.

Travel New England has included the VTPC Festival on its list of Vermont 2012 Fall Festivals, Harvest Festivals, Apple Festivals and More.

Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, who will be singing the National Anthem at our festival on Oct. 7th, reports on her various activities around Vermont on her facebook page.

Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing anthem at VT Pumpkin Chuckin'
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Delaware has put their Punkin Chunkin event on their "Delaware Bucket List." If you are a Vermonter it is your Green Mountain duty to put, going to the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival, on yours.

Put Pumpkin hurling on your bucket list!
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Pumpkin People
Pumpkin People are always de-vine
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New Trebuchet World Record, and a New Holy Grail...

Pompoenschieten Bikschote - European Pumpkin Catapulting Contest

Big News from the European Pumpkin Catapulting Contest:
September 3, 2012 -- SiegeMasters is proud to announce the establishment of a new World Record for a Gravity powered Trebuchet with a 10-Lb pumpkin.

Dateline Sunday, September 02, 2012
Bikschote, West Flanders, Belgium

Today, the giant Whipper type Trebuchet known as Excalibur threw a 10-Lb pumpkin for a distance of 763.3 meters (2,504.33 feet), which exceeds last years WCPC Adult Trebuchet winner by 177.66 feet.

The World Championship of Punkin Chunkin is held in Delaware, USA the first weekend in November and will determine if this new record will stand.

Until then, Our most hearty congratulations.
The final world record distance was amended slightly to 2504.26509 feet. This is 177.665 feet better than the US/World Championship Punkin Chunkin, WCPC record of 2,326.60 feet set in 2011, by the Yankee Siege II team in the Adult Trebuchet Class.

Yankee Siege 2 at 2011 WCPC
Yankee Siege 2, November 10, 2011

via Craig Simmons, who has a great collection of trebuchet photos.
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Here is a slow motion test firing of Excalibur (the new record holder) from 2010:


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If you are interested in serious trebuchet engineering checkout Craig Simmons full facebook page. He builds traditional, modern and experimental trebuchets in his spare time.

Trebuchet Workshop
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Emperor Twang - Whipper trebuchet by Craig Simmons
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Finally, here is a great pumpkin hurling contest for kids out on Long Island, New York. The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Pumpkin Fling:


These kids are building some serious trebuchets. This year's Pumpkin Fling will be held on Saturday, October 27th, 2012, at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY.

Reminders: A Fortnight to Go, and BYOP

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Only two weeks now until the Great Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th.

A reminder:  BYOP = Bring Your Own Pumpkins

Competitors are please reminded to bring their own pumpkins for the competition. They should be pre-weighed to make sure they are at least 3 ounces for the lightweight, at least 1 pound for the middleweight, and at least 5 pounds for the heavyweight. Bring at least 3 to throw and more to practice. Dave J. will provide a dummy ball (or two ) just in case people can't find or don't bring pumpkins.
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Same price as last year...

It's been decided to keep the cost for the VTPC festival the same as last year.

Admission to the festival will cost $5 for anybody 4 years old or older (spectator or competitor), free for 3 and under, $20 (max) for an immediate family. The festival goes from 11 am to dark, featuring three rounds of competitive pumpkin chuckin' starting at 12 noon after the National Anthem is sung by Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram.

The 2nd round of firing is at 1pm, 3rd round at 2pm with awards shortly after the last round. No dogs and no alcohol please. Parking is free. Food will be provided by the Rotary.

It's a fantastic bargain. So, come on down to the Boyden Family Farm and support your Cambridge Area Rotary Club!
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BFF = Boyden Family Farm
 BFF = Boyden Family Farm / Pumpkin Chuckin' Heaven
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patio at Boyden Family Farm

In addition to being a great location for your next event, Boyden Farm is a real, working family farm, and has been for the Boyden family for almost 100 years!

Check out Facebook: The Barn at Boyden Farm
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Some final words of wisdom from The 10 Commandments of Trebuchet Hurling, or the Pumpkin Chuckin' Code of Conduct:

BYOP = Bring Your Own Pumkins
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Thou Shalt Not Hide Thy Neighbor's Counterweights
via Craig Simmons

Countdown to Hurl-time

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There are now only six day until the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Other Activities at Pumpkin Chuckin' --

The Lamoille Family Center of Morrisville will be running numerous activities for children at the Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival including – face painting, bean bag toss, ring toss, noodle necklaces, corn pool, costume characters, and more. 
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Our Annual Safety Message:

We once again want to remind all our competitors that safety must be a critical part of all your procedures for firing your trebuchet.

Hoisting your counterweight and arming your trebuchet is just as dangerous as the actual firing. For example, checkout the following video show the aftermath of a very severe accident that occurred during the filming of the reality TV show Little People, Big World.

The episode was entitled, "Trebuchet Trouble" and it had the following incident:
Jacob Roloff, 9, and Michael Detjen, 58, were injured when a 25-foot-high wooden trebuchet at Roloff Farms fired prematurely. The machine's 2,000-pound concrete counterweight dented Jacob's skull, requiring surgery, and repeatedly slammed into Detjen, a retired Beaverton engineer who needed 200-plus stitches.

 Wikipedia adds this account of the accident:
Jacob Roloff and family friend Mike Detjen, were seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on Saturday, October 28, 2006 (episode aired April 9, 2007). They were injured when the family's trebuchet (which they use to launch pumpkins as part of the pumpkin season promotion) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby St. Vincent Hospital and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Jacob and Mike recovered from the injuries and were released on Monday, October 30, 2006.

Although a TLC camera crew were at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The accident, therefore, was not recorded. Prior to the airing of two new episodes on November 4, TLC aired a brief segment with Matt and Amy acknowledging the accident and thanking everyone for their support. Jacob was shown with what appeared to be an injury around his right eye.

Footage taken shortly after the accident occurred on the farm was shown December 16 in the final minutes of the season finale, "Farm Overload." A crowd had gathered around Jacob, who was lying on the ground near the trebuchet. The first two episodes of season 3 focus on the accident, and how the local media reacted to it.
Fortunately everyone survived this accident. But, the moral is that trebuchets are dangerous and fragile weapons. They are war machines. Happily, VTPC does not allow 2000-pound concrete counterweights, but any of of the machines in our three weight categories (20, 100, and 500 lb) can still put a big dent in your skull if they malfunction.  If you need more reasons to pay attention to safety, go back and checkout one of our old videos of Dave J's trebuchet having a massive failure before last year's VTPC.

Be safe out there all hurlers.
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To be safe and stay injury free,
There's a way your trebuchet must be,
Well set-up and inspected,
With no hazard neglected,
Do-it-right, that's your best guarantee. 
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Pumpkin Hurling Season U.S.A.

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Pumpkins fly across the USA this month in a variety of Pumpkin Chuckin' events:

There are only three days until our own Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival, on Sunday, October 7th, at the Boyden Family Farm, in Cambridge Vermont.

Here are some other pumpkin hurling events that will be going on around the country later this month:

 Brian Boldry and his 'First Try Trebuchet' in Colorado
Brian Boldry makes adjustments to his pumpkin-launching contraption, which is called “First Try Trebuchet” as he practices and prepares for Punkin Chunkin Colorado from the front yard of his friend’s home in Elizabeth, Colorado on Friday, September 28, 2012. More photos by Lindsay Pierce at YourHub
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Punkin Chunkin Colorado

The 2012 Punkin Chunkin Colorado competition will be held Saturday, October 13th, 2012, from 10am to 5pm at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave., Aurora, Colorado.
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New Jersey Last Fling Pumpkin Sling
Last Fling Pumpkin Sling, Oct 20 & 21st, 2012, Warren County, NJ
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From the 2011 New Jersey Last Fling Pumpkin Sling competion:

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The Great Pumpkin Farm Trebuchet Contest on October 13-14, 2012, in Clarence, New York:

The Great Pumpkin Farm Trebuchet Contest
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The Morton Punkin Chuckin’ Contest in Morton, Illinois, October 20th, 2012:

The Morton Punkin Chuckin’ Contest
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The Suffolk County Pumpkin Fling, October 27th, in Yaphank, New York:

The Suffolk County Pumpkin Fling

Get Ready To Hurl...

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Today is the day. It's time to lock and load your pumpkins. The Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is here!

Time to load your pumpkin in the trebuchet.
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The Schedule:

Competitors may start setting up anytime after 8 am today. Remember BYOP.
  • Gates open at 11 am for spectators
  • 12 noon: National Anthem sung by Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, followed by 1st round of trebuchet competition, and the music also begins
  • 1 pm: 2nd round
  • 2 pm: 3rd and final round with awards immediately following
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Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing anthem at VT Pumpkin Chuckin'
 Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing the anthem at Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival
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Price:

Admission to the festival will cost $5 for anybody 4 years old or older (spectator or competitor), free for 3 and under, $20 (max) for an immediate family.

Music:

Music for this year's festival will be provided by Vermont performers Mike Dunn and Jenn & John, who will be performing periodically from noon to 4pm.

Food:

Served by the Cambridge Area Rotary Club

Other Activities:

The Lamoille Family Center of Morrisville will be running numerous activities for children at the Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival including – face painting, bean bag toss, ring toss, noodle necklaces, corn pool, costume characters, and more.

Great Prizes:

Exciting prizes for the competition winners have been donated by the festival sponsors. Prizes include:

Pumpkin Chuckin' in Cambridge

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Great competition yesterday at the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Loading up a trebuchet at Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin'
Loading up a trebuchet

Here is a WCAX news report from yesterday's Pumpkin Chuckin' in Cambridge.


Kyle Midura / WCAX: Pumpin chuckin' in Cambridge --
During the fall months, Cambridge is home to some of the best seasonal colors. But, on at least one Sunday in this small Vermont town, streaks of pumpkin-orange draw more spectators than the foliage.
Nick Helms says he can't imagine a hobby more enjoyable than 'Pumpkin Chuckin'. "I mean, what's more fun than building something and then watching the success of it flying through the air," he said, "it's just indescribable." ...
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One big trebuchet at the @pumpkinchuckin festival by @ShayTotten
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