The 16th VTPC was awesome - Thank you!

 

Happy Pumpkin Chuckin' Day

Our 16th Annual Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is about to begin shortly. The weather looks great and the gates are about to open, so we hope to see you all here at Stowe Events Field, 120 Weeks Hill Rd., in Stowe, Vermont. Parking is free. Let's have a great day.

Today at 11 am 

16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

120 Weeks Hill Rd., Stowe, VT, United States, Vermont 05672

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The Countdown to 16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

There are now only 6 days remaining until our 16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, September 28th.

We want to highlight a few features of this year's festival that enhance the experience of coming to Stowe on Sunday.

Our Craft Fair is again fully loaded with outstanding crafters that you will enjoy.

The Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival Chili Cook-Off!

To compete - Bring two gallons of chili (and a crock pot to keep it warm) to the event by 11:30am. 

Beginning at noon, event attendees pay $5 to taste samples of the chili and vote for their favorite. The top three vote-getters receive cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25.

The $10 event entrance fee is waived for chili competitors.

Our Poster and Press Release for this our 16th festival on September 28th

There are only 13 days left until the 16the Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, September 28th.

** ATTENTION ALL COMPETITORS** Please arrive between 10:00 am and 11:00 am on Sunday so you can get set-up and have your trebuchet weighed, measured, and safety checked so we can begin the competition promptly at 12:30. Thank you.

Here is our press release talking about all the great stuff going on at the festival this year:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Charity: Clarina Howard Nichols Center, Morrisville, VT

16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival

Held at the Stowe Events Field, Weeks Hill Road in Stowe, VT

Proceeds of the September 28th event to benefit the Clarina Howard Nichols Center

Stowe, Vermont: This year marks 16 years of the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival which was awarded USA Today’s best fall festival in the nation. This festival celebrates the sport of chuckin pumpkins for distance, using a do-it-yourself constructed trebuchet, which is a gravity powered catapult. The event is a cross between a Soap Box Derby competition involving amateur building skills and a shot put contest. This is a great opportunity for kids and adults to design and build something and engage in some family friendly competition.

The festival is a one-day event that benefits the Clarina Howard Nichols Center which works to end domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking in Lamoille County.

The festival runs from 11am to 4pm and features 3 rounds of chuckin at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm, with awards short after the last round. Prizes are awarded in each division: heavyweight, middleweight open, middleweight junior and lightweight. The winner of each division receives $100 and the best design receives an extra $100.

Admission to the festival is $10, with children 5 years and younger admitted for free. Parking is free. Handicap parking is available, but seating is not provided. Feel free to bring chairs or blankets. No dogs, outside food or beverages are allowed at the event.

Admission is free if you enter the Chili Cookoff. To enter, bring 2 gallons of chili in a crock pot. Attendees will pay to sample the various chilis and vote for their favorites. Chili must be onsite by 11:30am. The top three chilis will win a cash prize ($100, $50, and $25).

Bring your appetite for 6 food trucks and your craft appreciation for over 40 craft vendors. Rounding out the action are 2 bands (OK Commuter and John Smyth), children’s activities, and a volleyball tournament featuring the best players in the state.

The current record for the heavyweight division is a whopping 879 feet, almost 3 football fields!

INFO: Specifications, rules and entry information can be found on the festival blog at VTPumpkinChuckin.blogspot.com or contact the festival organizer at Djordan@gmavt.net.

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Festival Frequently Asked Questions:

What time does the festival start?
Answer: The festival opens at 11am. Food trucks, the craft fair, kids activities, and live music will all be available then. The festival ends at around 4pm.

Where can I park?
Answer: Parking is available on-site at the event. There will be two lots to park in – one directly next to the event field and one across the street. Parking is free.

Can my younger children come in with me without charge?
Answer: Yes, this is a kid friendly festival. Children 5 and under are free to attend the festival. Tickets are $10 for ages 6 and over.

Can I bring in my own food?
Answer: Sorry, no outside food is permitted, bottled water will be allowed. There will be many food vendors offering a wide variety of food.

Can I bring in my picnic basket?
Answer: Sorry, no outside food is permitted, but bottled water is permitted.

Can I bring my own cooler?
Answer: No tables, coolers, tents or large umbrellas permitted. Small folding lawn or beach chairs are allowed.

Can I bring in my own wine, beer or other alcohol?
Answer: No, regulations forbid any outside alcohol being brought in.

How long does the actual pumpkin chuckin' last? The first round of hurling starts at 12:30 pm and the final round starts at 2:30. Winners and awards are announced around 3:15pm.

Can I buy beer or wine at the festival?
Answer: No, this is a family friendly festival, and no alcohol is served.

Can I bring my dog?
Answer: No, this is not a dog friendly event. Service animals are allowed. Turtles and tortoises are allowed. The area can be crowded at times, and it is not dog friendly.
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Is food included in the ticket price?
Answer: No, food must be purchased from the vendors of your choice.

How do I participate as a vendor at the craft fair?
Answer: Contact Becky Gonyea at bgonyea@clarina.org to request a craft vendor application form.

How do I participate as a food vendor?
Answer: Contact Becky Gonyea at bgonyea@clarina.org to inquire about food vendor opportunities.

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Results of Sept. 29th, 2024, 15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

We had a beautiful, clear warm day at the Stowe Events Field in Stowe, VT for the 15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival. There were 10 teams of chuckers, 16 teams in the volleyball tournament, 5 teams in the Chili Cook-Off, 9 food vendors, 39 craft vendors, 45 volunteers, and an estimated record attendance of 2500 spectators enjoying the hurling, chili cook-off judging, arts and craft show, food trucks, 2 bands, a giant robot roaming around the field, kids activities, and a volleyball tournament. 

We raised nearly $40,000 for the Clarina Howard Nichols Center. Funds raised come from entrance fees, business sponsors, t-shirt sales, the chili cookoff, on-site donations, and craft fair vendor fees. The Center’s director, Becky Gonyea, and her tremendous group of volunteers did an amazing job planning and running the festival for the sixth year!

Thank you to all of our business sponsors:

• Heavyweight sponsors: 10 Railroad Street/The Blue Donkey, Fidium Fiber, Maggie McLeod Macdonald Fund, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Three Mountain Roofing, Vermont Community Foundation.

• Middleweight sponsors: Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate, Community National Bank, In Company, Leaves of Change Vermont, Nichols & Associates, P.C., Piecasso Family Pizzeria, Union Bank

• Lightweight sponsors: Bourne’s Energy, Casella Waste Systems, Commodities Natural Market, Donald P. Blake Jr. Inc., Edward Jones-Caren Merson, Financial Advisor, El Gato Cantina, Hook & Peel Mobile Pizza Kitchen, Johnson Hardware & Rental, Manufacturing Solutions Inc., Mediterranean Mix, N.A. Manosh, Sana at Stowe, Stowe Sandwich Company, The Country Store on Main, The Melted Cheesiere, Trombley & Day Group, Two Sons Bakehouse.

New Heavyweight trebuchet world record of 879 feet by Jonathan Stapleton’s amazing “Walking Arm” design:

The heavyweight division has a trebuchet height limit of 10 feet and the complete trebuchet has a weight limit of 500 pounds. They are required to throw a pumpkin that must weigh at least 5 pounds. To our knowledge, no trebuchet with these limits has thrown a 5-pound pumpkin anywhere close to 879 feet. Last year’s winning throw and previous world record was 861 feet.

A Merlin design trebuchet tied for first in our Middleweight Open division:

Orion and Jonathan Stapleton entered a Merlin design trebuchet in the Middleweight Open division and they tied with Zai Gluck’s Walking Arm design. Both teams threw 606 feet when scaled up to a 10-foot height. Out of 10 teams this year, 6 used the Stapleton Walking Arm design, 1 had a Merlin design, 1 had a whipper design, 1 had a floating arm design and 1 had a King Arthur design. Not a single competitor this year used a traditional trebuchet design. See below for details about each team’s results.

Height and weight limits explained:
You may have been told that no math was involved, but some is required to make the design competition fair for all of the contestants. All divisions have height and weight limits. If the limits are exceeded, we allow them to compete, but the actual throw is reduced accordingly. For example, if a throw went 100 feet, but the trebuchet was twice the weight limit, their distance would be adjusted down to 50 feet. Similarly, if a trebuchet was twice the height limit, it also would be adjusted down to 50 feet.

Scaling to determine the Grand Prize winner of Best Design

Once each division has declared its winner, the lightweight and middleweight winners are scaled up by their height ratios to compete with the heavyweight winner to determine the Grand Prize of Best Design awarded to the trebuchet that threw the best for their height. The lightweights are scaled up by height ratio (120/41 = 2.972) and the middleweights are scaled up by their height ratio (70/120 = 1.714).

Trebuchet team results:

Lightweight Open Division (limited to 41” and 20 pounds) the projectile must be over 3 ounces. Normally this division is only open to kids 9 years old and younger, but we only had one competitor, who was several decades over the age limit, so we changed the division from Lightweight Junior to Lightweight Open, so it was open to all ages.

Lightweight Open:

Place: 1st place, $100 cash prize

Captain: Roger DuHamel

Trebuchet Name: Old Man’s Bucket List

Trebuchet Design: Walking Arm

Best throw: actual = 126 feet, adjusted for penalty and scaling = 254 feet

There were no Middleweight Junior Division entries this year.

Middleweight Open Division (limited to 70” and 100 pounds, the projectile must weigh over 1 pound).

This was a highly competitive division with only 48 feet separating the top six teams! Two teams tied for 1st place, each team received $100 cash.

Captain: Zai Gluck

Trebuchet Name: Gourd Goblins

Trebuchet Design: Stapleton Walking Arm

Best throw: actual 354 feet, adjusted for scaling = 606 feet

Captain: Orion and Jonathan Stapleton

Trebuchet Name: Merlin

Trebuchet Design: Merlin

Best throw: actual 354 feet, adjusted for scaling = 606 feet

Place: 2nd place, received $50 cash
Captain: Steven McCann
Trebuchet Name: MAX D23
Trebuchet Design: Stapleton Walking Arm
Best throw: actual 345 feet, adjusted for scaling = 591 feet

Place: 3rd place, received $25 cash
Captain: Dave Jordan
Trebuchet Name: Bad Boomer
Trebuchet Design: King Arthur
Best throw: actual 318 feet, adjusted for scaling = 545 feet
Place: Tied for 4th place

Captain: Zach Taylor
Trebuchet Name: Chunker T
Trebuchet Design: Stapleton Walking Arm
Best throw: actual 306 feet, adjusted for scaling = 524 feet

Place: Tied for 4th place
Captain: Michael Porzio
Trebuchet Name: Printed Power
Trebuchet Design: Stapleton Walking Arm
Best throw: actual 306 feet, adjusted for scaling = 524 feet

Place: 5th place
Captain: Steve McCann
Trebuchet Name: Pumpkin Axe 2
Trebuchet Design: Floating Arm
Best throw: actual 102 feet, adjusted for scaling = 174 feet

Heavyweight Division (limited to 120” and 500 pounds, the projectile must weigh over 5 pounds):

Place: 1st place, $100 cash prize. Also won Best Design, a $200 cash prize!

Captain: Jonathan Stapleton (inventor of the Stapleton Walking Arm design)

Trebuchet Name: Controlled Chaos

Trebuchet Design: Stapleton Walking Arm

Best throw: actual 879 feet, adjusted for scaling = 879 feet

Place: 2nd place, $50 cash prize
Captain: Nicholas Helms
Trebuchet Name: Weapons of Mass Destruction
Trebuchet Design: Whipper
Best throw: actual 294 feet, adjusted for scaling = 294 feet

Chili Cook-Off Contest:

There were 5 entries in the chili cookoff. Festival attendees, who wanted to judge, paid $5 to taste and rank their choice of the 5 different chili dishes. 

• 1st place: Carter Peck, #5, $100 cash prize and a 3-course meal prepared in their home by G. Willikers Catering
• 2nd place: Chaz and Brian Albert, #4, $50 cash prize
• 3rd place: Allyson Scanlon, #3, $25 cash prize

Third Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Invitational Volleyball Quads Tournament:

The head of Green Mountain Volleyball, Bill Orleans promoted, ran, and competed in a volleyball tournament with 16 teams during the festival gathering the best players from Vermont, New York, and Montreal.

• 1st place: Ryan Rabidou, Kevin Devine, Taj Schottland and Aaron Fournier.
• 2nd place: Kieran Schutt, Adam Walton, Zach Kwan and Cole Schaefer.
  
  

The Giant Robot:

Joshua Nye, the head of Nye Mechworks, once again brought his giant robot. He planned to have it roaming the field waving its huge arms. Unfortunately, Mr. Robot ran into technical difficulties and was not able to leave the trailer under its own power. However, he was able to line up next to the other trebuchets and chuck a pumpkin using a small catapult! Check out nyemechworks.com for videos and more information on building your own giant robot from cheap, easily found parts.

Food Vendors:

Nine food and drink vendors were busy all day serving delicious food and beverages.

Thank you to The Melted Cheesiere, Deb’s Place, El Gato Cantina, Hook & Peel Mobile

Pizza Kitchen, Stowe Sandwich Company, Mediterranean Mix, Street Treats Ice Cream Truck, Jenna’s Promise Roasting Co., and the Peoples Academy Juniors raising funds for their trip to Vietnam.

The 2nd Annual Craft Fair was a huge success!

Event attendees enjoyed shopping from 39 craft vendors which sold a wide variety of products including pottery, jewelry, honey, clothing, maple products, woodworking, artwork, photography, and much more.

Two bands:

John Smyth (singer/songwriter) kicked off the festival with his original music while the
Teams set up their trebuchets and catapults. Then Kirkland the Band kept the party going with excellent tunes to hurl with all day long.

Volunteers:

This event would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. 45 volunteers helped to make this event a reality. Volunteers assisted with everything from setting up tents, to cleaning up, parking cars, cleaning bathrooms, collecting entrance fees, staffing the kids’ activities, measuring chuckin’ distances, and more. A special thank you to our announcer, Sean Morrissey and the youth volunteers from Peoples Academy and Stowe High School.

Next year:

Next year’s event is currently scheduled for Sunday, Sept 28, 2025, at the Stowe Events Field here in Stowe, Vermont. Please check our Facebook page and blog for details when it gets close next year because we don’t always get the date that we ask for. We will also be working on improving the parking plan for next year.

Congratulations to everyone for a great festival,
Dave Jordan
Festival organizer

Thank You!

Update: Thank you. We reached our goal!

Your support of the Clarina Howard Nichols Center and our festival this year was fantastic!

Thank You for All Your Support. It was an Incredible Day!

We will provide a detailed update of our festival in the coming days - trebuchet winners, chili cook-off winners, funds raised, t-shirt orders, etc. - but for now, we just want to say thank you to everyone who attended the 15th Annual VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival and supported the Clarina Howard Nichols Center! It was an incredible day, and we hope you all had fun!