There are now just 12 days until our 7th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.
Press Release:
Stoweflake Resort and Spa to Host 7th Annual “Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival”
Proceeds of Sept. 27th, 2015 Event to Benefit the Lamoille Family Center
Stowe, Vermont – It is again time to get your pumpkin chuckin' trebuchet (gravity powered catapult) ready for the 7th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' (VTPC) Festival. Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 27th, 2015 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 twenty 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, chili cook-off, and great food; all creating an enjoyable fall day. Music for this year's festival will again be provided by two bands; House Dunn, John Smyth, 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. To register or questions, contact Dave Jordan (below).
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 7th VTPC, please contact Dave Jordan.
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Some other Pumpkin Chuckin' notes:
Brian Roy (email: broy@ccsuvt.org ), the Assistant Director, at Essex Junction Recreation and Parks, is looking for a trebuchet or two to help him out at his October 24th Pumpkin Festival.
Brian is "looking for a team or two to come do a display and show off what pumpkin chuckin' is." Please shoot him a email if you would like to help him out. Thanks
Here is the information about his event is:
Essex Junction Recreation Departments Fall Pumpkin Fest
Saturday October 24th
4:30-7:00pm
Maple St. Park
75 Maple St. Essex Junction, VT
Brian Roy (email: broy@ccsuvt.org ), the Assistant Director, at Essex Junction Recreation and Parks, is looking for a trebuchet or two to help him out at his October 24th Pumpkin Festival.
Brian is "looking for a team or two to come do a display and show off what pumpkin chuckin' is." Please shoot him a email if you would like to help him out. Thanks
Here is the information about his event is:
Essex Junction Recreation Departments Fall Pumpkin Fest
Saturday October 24th
4:30-7:00pm
Maple St. Park
75 Maple St. Essex Junction, VT
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Also, Erin Hibbard (email: EHibbard@vermontgas.com ) at Vermont Gas Systems is looking for a trebuchet:
I am inquiring about your highly recommended services. I am looking to hold a very large community event to raise money for Milton High School project graduation. The tentative dates and locations would be either Oct 24th or Nov 14th either at the Milton High School or behind the police station on Bombardier road.
My question to you is do you know an individual(s) I can either call or email to see if they would be willing to donate/rent the trebuchet or a catapult for a day or possibly make one if the materials were supplied? Not sure what other routes I could take (and the time is creeping up extremely quick) so any and all info would be very grateful to me…