Take a break from eating pumpkin bars and cranberry pie this Thanksgiving to watch the Science Channel's coverage of the World Champsionship Punkin Chunkin event. Now in its twenty-fourth year, Punkin Chunkin features technological feats as backyard engineers compete in launching pumpkins the furthest distance.
According to the Punkin Chunkin web site, the event draws in over 20,000 spectators during the weekend and generates $100,000 in ticket sales and associated revenues. With competition categories for both adults and youth, the pumpkin-focused event is something the entire family can enjoy.
Punkin Chunkin History & Founders
Recently, the four founding fathers of Punkin Chunkin were honored and included John Ellsworth, Trey Melson, Bill Thompson, and Donald Pepper. The origins of Punkin Chunkin started some 25 years ago when these men were discussing a local news event.
John Ellsworth tells the Cape Gazette, "We were playing around one day and somebody started talking about throwing pumpkins. There had been an article in a newspaper or on television about some people throwing pumpkins at Salisbury State. A physics class or something. One of us said that they could throw further than someone else and I threw my hat on the ground."
The men competed that year with the winning pumpkin flying some 176 feet. With advancements in technology and by paying close attention to lesson's learned, last year's competition featured a world record launch of over 4,400 feet.
Punkin Chunkin Competition Categories & Pumpkin Launching Machines
Punkin Chunkin categories are primarily categorized by age and type of engineering used to hurl the pumpkins. Age groups consist of adults, youth ages 11 to 17, and youth ages 10 and under.
The teams compete using one of six types of pumpkin launching machines. For each launching system, specific rules dictate the size of pumpkins, device construction and operation. Many of the adult categories feature pumpkins weighing between 8 and 10 pounds which have not been altered in any way.
- Air
- Catapult
- Centrifugal
- Human Power
- Torsion Catapult
- Trebuchet
The machine categories represent a wide range of launching technologies. Air features the use of compressed air while catapult utilizes springs and coils to create stored energy. Centrifugal systems spin to create power while human powered systems require only the energy created by one person. Torsion requires the use of torsion springs or cords while trebuchet uses swinging and fixed counterweights.
Over 70 teams will compete with homemade launching devices in the hopes of reaching the furthest distance. A portion of the event proceeds will be used to provide over $15,000 in educational scholarships.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with the World's Finest Pumpkin Launching Contest
The Science Channel will spotlight the Delaware-based Punkin Chunkin event this year and Zach Selwyn will serve as host. The Thanksgiving fun will kick off at 8PM (ET/PT) on November 26, 2009 with the premiere of On the Road to Punkin Chunkin. Immediately following this broadcast, Punkin Chunkin will air at 9PM (ET/PT).
Allen Williams - Allen Williams is a freelance writer with varied interests ranging from information architecture to reality TV and cooking. He considers ...
