Pumpkin Chuckin' Roundup

As we head into the heart of the pumpkin chuckin' season here's a roundup of some related news and items that caught our eye:

* First, a big congratulations to everyone who came out to help support our 6th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' festival that was held on Sunday, September 28th, at Stoweflake Mountain Resort. We had over 1700 spectators, who helped us raise over $10,000 in support of the the Lamoille Family Center in Morrisville, VT. Thanks again everyone for coming out to our pumpkin chuckin' festival.
* In the run-up to our little VTPC you might have missed the excellent article in the Boston Globe Magazine that profiled Brian Labrie and his Punkin Chunkin' team known as American Chunker. The article states that they have, "perhaps the finest pumpkin-firing air cannon the world has ever seen."

True dat. Brian and his crew are the current world champs, who will be going back to Delaware in a few weeks to defend their title and perhaps officially shoot the first pumpkin over a mile at near sea level.

We caught a nice break when Brian brought his newly built American Chunker air cannon up to our 2nd annual VTPC back in 2010 to work out some of their kinks. Everyone who went remembers that we had an awesome display of pumpkin fire power that day, which maxed out the limits of our field at Boyden Family Farm.

Gina Bullard from WCAX News did a very good report that day, which included some video of Brian Labrie and his team in action at our old location in Cambridge, VT.

Jeff Harder / Boston Globe Magazine:
The crazy quest of a Punkin Chunkin world champion– Brian Labrie has used his $180,000 air cannon to fire a pumpkin in competition farther than anyone else. But he’s not stopping there...


* Nice to see that the Discovery Channel will again be covering the World Championship Punkin Chunkin (WCPC). The show will premier on the Science Channel Saturday, Nov. 29.

What is notable this year is that the WCPC has moved from their traditional farm in Bridgeville, Delaware to the Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.


The Dover track is a 1 mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. It has seating for 135,000. It will be interesting to see how they set things up for the competition given how far many of their 'punkin chunkin' categories can fire or hurl pumpkins. We wonder if they will be shooting out of the oval to a field outside the track? Or just using the many parking lots around the track?



The move by WCPC takes them about 33 miles north from where they have been located. Dover is a little closer to pumpkin chuckin' fans from NY, NJ, or PA, who might want to make a day trip out of it. It's certainly an event for everyone's bucket list.

As reported by the Dover Post:

Punkin Chunkin organizers scouted more than 50 locations within and outside of Delaware before settling on the Speedway for the 2014 event, citing not only its convenient location but also the available space. Some air cannons can shoot pumpkins nearly one mile, so locating a space that could handle the competition and crowds proved challenging for Punkin Chunkin officials.

Keeping your pumpkins on the pumpkin range can be a challenge that we at VTPC appreciate, especially after seeing our own heavyweight winner this year, “Hammer of the Gourds”(HOTG) hurl their last pumpkin. Look out down range!

* If you are in the Saginaw, Michigan area, which is on the lower peninsula some 35 miles north of Flint, you should checkout the massive trebuchet at Johnson's Giant Pumpkin Farm.

Johnson's Giant Pumpkins:

Please join us on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, starting September 28, as we launch 60 to 80 pound pumpkins threw the air with our trebuchet that stands 40 feet tall and the counter weight is 10,000 pounds!

Cost: Free
Weather permitting activity.

Wow! That is truly an extraordinary backyard trebuchet.
* Tweet from Daryll that we liked. A room with a view...

Daryll Kingan‏@daryllinabarrelOct 4