“Depending on who you listen to, the Chunk started in Lewes, Del., in the local blacksmith shop,” Shade recounts. “Four guys were discussing medieval games and heard about some kids that created a pumpkin catapult. They thought, ‘We can do that.’ So they threw down the proverbial gauntlet and decided the first Saturday after Halloween, they would have a contest.”
Why compost your old pumpkins when you can launch them?
That’s the theme to this weekend’s 24th annual World Champion Punkin Chunkin Festival, where over 75,000 people will gather in rural southern Delaware to witness a variety of pumpkin-launching devices — from catapults, trebuchets, centrifugal machines, to pneumatic cannons — try to set world records.
If watching flying gourds isn’t your thing, Frank Shade, the Chunk’s director of promotions, assures that it offers “something to do for everybody.” But even he’s aware that a festival revolving around standing in a cornfield, clutching a beer, while pumpkins fly overhead isn’t for everyone. “Ninety-five percent of our visitors are hooked for life. But the other 5 percent are like, get me out of here.”
If you want to witness the Chunk for yourself, the best way to get there is via car, as the Chunk is located in the middle of a cornfield (meaning: no train stations). Since the event is outside, Shade recommends bringing “a chair if you want to sit. And beer to join in on the huge tailgating party.” And, of course, “be prepared for all kinds of weather.” Go to www.punkinchunkin.com for a list of hotels and motels in the area.