Top 5 Pumpkin Festivals in New England

Thanks Yankee Magazine for the shout out. See their Fall issue, page 26, for the run down of the top Pumpkin Festivals in New England. Thank you everyone, VT Pumpkin Chuckin' made the cut.

Here Comes the 6th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Stoweflake Resort and Spa to Host 6th Annual “Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival”

Proceeds of Sept. 28^th, 2014 Event to Benefit the Lamoille Family Center

Stowe, Vermont, Aug. 19, 2014 – It is again time to get your pumpkin chuckin' trebuchet (gravity powered catapult) ready for the 6th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' (VTPC) Festival. Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 28th, 2014 at the Stoweflake Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vermont. The VTPC Festival is a fun, family event sponsored by the Stoweflake Resort and Spa and other local sponsors. The event benefits the Lamoille Family Center, which has a thirty-eight year history of supporting Lamoille Valley families through early care, and educational services, home visiting, parent education, playgrounds, child care resource and referral, youth services, and emergency assistance. The event gives kids and adults a chance to build something with their hands and compete; a cross between a shot put contest and a Soap Box Derby.

The Festival runs from 11am to 4pm, and features three rounds of competitive pumpkin chuckin' at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm, with awards shortly after the last round. No dogs or outside food or beverage are allowed at the event. Admission to the Festival is $5 for ages 5 and over, free for 4 and under. Parking is free. Food, beer and wine will be sold by Stoweflake. Chili will also be available via a chili cookoff.

The Festival is a one-day event where Do-It-Yourself mechanical wizards of all ages attempt to launch pumpkins as far as possible with their trebuchets, a type of medieval siege weapon. The event has grown in size every year with over 2000 spectators last year. Last year nineteen teams from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York competed in four different categories at the VTPC Festival.

Along with the pumpkin chuckin’ contest comes music, children’s activities, a bounce house, chili cook-off, and great food; all creating an enjoyable fall day. Music for this year's festival will again be provided by three bands; House Dunn, Ball Hammock and the duo Jen and John, which will be performing periodically from 11am to 4pm.

The festival has four categories of competition: Lightweight, Middleweight Junior, Middleweight Open and Heavyweight. Each category has height and weight limits to level the playing field.

Dave Jordan, enthusiastic founder (and competitor) of the festival says: "This is a fun competition modeled after the Soap Box Derby. The four categories each have their own mini-tournament and the four winners get a trophy, and $50 cash. The four winning teams then compete for the Grand Prize of Best Design. The Grand prize is awarded to the team that throws the farthest after adjusting for their trebuchet's height. The Grand prize winner gets an extra $50 cash and first choice of the prizes provided by local sponsors.”

It costs $5 to enter the competition (or to spectate). For the specifications, rules, and entry information please visit the festival's website (http://vtpumpkinchuckin.blogspot.com/) for details.

Chili Cook-off: For $5 the public can get a sample of each competitor's concoction and vote for first, second and third place. First place gets $100, second get $50 and third gets $25. To compete, bring 2 gallons of chili to the event. Competitors receive free admission to the Festival, free exposure for their chili, and a chance of winning prize money. Last year's winner, Deb Papineau has volunteered to run the cookoff and not compete. To register, or for more information, email Deb at deb@debsplaceinfo.com. 

INFO visit the festival's website at vtpumpkinchuckin.blogspot.com or contact the festival organizer Dave Jordan, Email: Djordan@GMAVT.net, phone (603) 630-4800

To volunteer to help at the 6^th VTPC, please contact Dave Jordan