Results of the 16th Annual VT Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival

 🎃 Results of the 16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival — September 28, 2025

Under blue skies and warm sunshine, the Stowe Events Field came alive for the 16th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival — and what a day it was! Thousands gathered to celebrate Vermont’s most unique fall tradition of trebuchet-powered pumpkin hurling, friendly competition, local food, music, and family fun.

This year’s festival featured 12 teams of pumpkin chuckers with 14 trebuchets, 6 chili cook-off competitors, 22 volleyball teams, 8 food vendors, 38 craft vendors, 33 business sponsors, and 50 incredible volunteers. A record-breaking 2,500 spectators joined the festivities — making this the biggest year yet.

Together, we raised $40,557 for the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, a Lamoille County nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence. The funds came from entrance fees, sponsorships, merchandise sales, the chili cook-off, craft fair vendor fees, and generous on-site donations. Huge thanks to Executive Director Becky Gonyea and her team for organizing and running the festival for the seventh consecutive year!

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🏆 Highlights & Competition Results

A New Champion in the Heavyweight Division

Three-time defending champion Jonathan Stapleton — holder of the world record throw of 879 feet — brought his famous 450-pound counterweighted trebuchet to defend his title. But in a dramatic twist, his machine’s arm snapped on the first launch, paving the way for Vermont State University–Randolph captain Keith Carrara to seize victory and claim the Heavyweight Division title!

Grand Prize: Best Design

Even after his heavyweight heartbreak, Jonathan Stapleton still earned top honors for Best Design, thanks to his Merlin-style trebuchet in the Middleweight Division, which achieved a scaled distance of 647 feet. This marks Stapleton’s fourth Grand Prize, the most in festival history!

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🎯 Division Winners

Lightweight Open Division
🥇 Roger Duhamel — “Old Man’s Bucket List II”

Middleweight Junior Division
🥇 Douglas Kussius — “Mango Tango”
🥈 Caleb Bourdeau — “Let It Fly”

Middleweight Open Division
🥇 Jonathan Stapleton — “Merlin” (also Best Design)
🥈 Tyler Barnard — “Just Keep Chuckin’”
🥉 Jonathan Stapleton — “Merlin CVT”

Heavyweight Division
🥇 Keith Carrara — Vermont State University (Randolph) “Pumpkin Chucker”
🥈 Nicholas Helms — “5.2”

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⚙️ How the Scoring Works

All trebuchets compete within height and weight limits for fairness. Exceeding those limits results in adjusted distances — so precision engineering matters as much as raw power! The coveted Best Design award is determined by scaling each division’s winning throw based on height ratios, ensuring that every trebuchet, big or small, competes on equal footing.

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👷‍♂️ Honoring Our Veteran Builders

After sixteen years, the festival proudly recognizes the dedicated builders who keep the pumpkins flying year after year:

• Nicholas Helms (VT) – Competed in 15 of 16 festivals, known for his inventive designs and medieval flair.

• The Stapleton Family (VT) – Eleven-time competitors; the innovative “walking arm” design has dominated since 2016.

• Dave Jordan (VT) – Organizer and ten-time competitor (and occasional accidental vertical launcher!).

• Don & Chris Jordan (NY) – Nine-time competitors and 2014 Best Design winners.

• Steve & Steven McCann (ME) – Nine appearances, multiple wins, and unmatched enthusiasm.

• Ray & Ed Chamberlain (NH) – Eight-time competitors, including 2017’s Best Design winner.

• Chris McGrody (NH) – Seven appearances; first heavyweight to win Best Design (2015).

• Tim Brown & Family (MA) – Seven-time competitors and pioneers of team t-shirts!

• And many more — including repeat winners and creative newcomers who embody the spirit of friendly engineering and fall fun.

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🌶️ Chili Cook-Off Champions

With six delicious entries, attendees sampled five chili recipes for $5 and cast their votes:
🥇 Carter Peck — #5 ($100)
🥈 Ann Brever — #6 ($50)
🥉 Eric Halperin — #2 ($25)

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🏐 Volleyball Tournament

The Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Invitational Volleyball Quads Tournament, organized by Bill Orleans of Green Mountain Volleyball, drew 22 top-tier teams from Vermont, New York, and Montreal.
🥇 Ryan Rabidou, Kevin Devine, Taj Schottland, and Nick Pizzuti

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🍴 Food, Crafts & Music

Festivalgoers enjoyed delicious eats from Hook & Peel Pizza, El Gato Cantina, Maharaja Spice, The Better Kettle, Mediterranean Mix, Street Treats Ice Cream, and Jenna’s Promise Roasting Co.

The 2nd Annual Craft Fair featured 38 talented artisans, offering everything from pottery and maple products to photography, jewelry, and woodworking.

Music filled the air all day with John Smyth’s singer-songwriter set opening the morning, followed by the upbeat rhythms of Ok Commuter, keeping the energy high as pumpkins soared.

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🐢 Dolores the Tortoise Returns!

Beloved local celebrity Dolores the Tortoise, along with her owner Kelly Goosecock, delighted attendees for the third year in a row. She remains the festival’s only official animal guest!

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🙏 Thank You to Our Volunteers & Sponsors

This festival thrives thanks to our 50 dedicated volunteers who made everything possible — from setup and cleanup to parking, kids’ activities, and measuring those all-important throws. Special thanks to announcer John Prittie and the youth volunteers from Peoples Academy and Stowe High School.

Heavyweight Sponsors

Community National Bank • Fidium Fiber • Maggie McLeod Macdonald Fund • Nichols & Bates, P.C. • Three Mountain Roofing

Middleweight Sponsors

10 Railroad Street • Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate • Donald P. Blake Jr. Inc. • In Company • Johnson Hardware & Rental • Piecasso Family Pizzeria • Smugglers’ Notch Resort • Union Bank • Vermont Community Foundation • Vermont Electric Cooperative

Lightweight Sponsors

Bourne’s Energy • Casella Waste Systems • Commodities Natural Market • Edward Jones – Caren Merson • El Gato Cantina • Hook & Peel Mobile Pizza Kitchen • Huard Family Farm • Laraway Youth and Family Services • Leaves of Change Vermont • Maharaja Spice • Manufacturing Solution Inc • Mediterranean Mix • Sana at Stowe • Street Treats Ice Cream • The Better Kettle • The Country Store on Main • Trombley & Day Group • Two Sons Bakehouse

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📅 Save the Date: September 27, 2026

Mark your calendars! The 17th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the Stowe Events Field. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates as the date approaches.

For more details:
📧 Dave Jordan – Festival Organizer
📰 Blog: VTPumpkinChuckin.blogspot.com
📩 Email: Djordan@gmavt.net

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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You can follow us on Facebook for updates.

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!

VTPC Schedule of Activities: Sunday, September 29th

We pack lots of action and activities into our short 1-day festival. You are all invited to stop in next Sunday, Sept. 29th at the Stowe Events Field, 120 Weeks Hill Rd., Stowe, VT, and support a very worthy cause: The Clarina Howard Nichols Center

Chili Cook-Off at Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Are you undecided about whether to compete in the chili cook-off? Need a little extra incentive? We've added a new prize - in addition to $100, the 1st place winner will receive a gift certificate for a free 3-course meal for two, prepared in your home by the personal chefs from G Willikers Catering! Thank you G Willikers Catering for donating this prize!

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. Cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25 are awarded to the top three vote-getters.

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

The Craft Fair at Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Just one more reason to attend the 15th Annual VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival - an amazing craft fair! See you there next Sunday, September 29th.

Food Trucks at the 15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

We have a great lineup of food vendors at this year's festival on Sunday, September 29th:

The Melted Cheesiere, Hook & Peel Mobile Pizza Kitchen, Deb's Place, Stowe Sandwich Company, El Gato Cantina, streettreatsvt, Jenna's Promise Roasting Co., Mediterranean Mix

12 Days Until our 15th Annual VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Kirkland the Band performing at VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

In case you missed it. We are so lucky to have Kirkland the Band performing at our 15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, September 29th at Mayo Farm Events Field, Stowe, VT!

Kirkland the Band Live at Pumpkin Chuckin' Fest
Stowe, Vt - Sunday, September 29, 2024

Here we go for the 15th Time - September 29th, 2024

15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival is in 30 days!

Only a few summer days left to build your trebuchet and chuck your way to fame and riches. $200 top prize for the best trebuchet design, $100 for the winner of each division, and $100 to the winner of the Citizen’s Choice Chili Cookoff.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact person: Dave Jordan
phone: (603) 630-4800
email: Djordan@gmavt.net
blog: VTPumpkinChuckin.blogspot.com
Charity: Clarina Howard Nichols Center, Morrisville, VT

15th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival

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

Proceeds of the September 29th event to benefit the Clarina Howard Nichols Center

Stowe, Vermont / Aug. 30, 2024: This year marks 15 years of the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival, 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’s work to end domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking in Lamoille County.

Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 29, 2024. The festival runs from 11am to 4pm and features 3 rounds of chuckin' at 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm, with awards shortly after the last round. Cash prizes are awarded in each division and for the best overall design.

Bring your appetite for 6 food trucks and your craft appreciation for over 40 craft vendors. Round out the action are 2 bands, Kirkland The Band and John Smyth, a giant robot roaming the field, kid activities, Infoman from Montreal, and a volleyball tournament featuring the best players in the state.

Admission to the festival is $10, and children 5 years and younger are admitted for free. Parking is free. Handicap parking is available, but no seating is 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.

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.

You may see another record fall; in 2009 the winning throw was 139 feet, and last year the winning throw was 861 feet! Here is a table showing the past winners of the event:

year -- feet - captain --- design

2009 - 139 - Dave Barrows - standard
2010 - 230 - Wayne Powell - standard
2011 - 381 - SUNY Plattsburgh - floating arm
2012 - 438 - Dwight Snowberger - floating arm
2013 - 596 - Dwight Snowberger - floating arm
2014 - 514 - Don Jordan - King Arthur
2015 - 520 - Chris McGrody - floating arm
2016 - 689 - Dave Jordan - King Arthur
2017 - 509 - Ray Chamberlain - floating arm
2018 - 780 - Orion Stapleton - walking arm
2019 - 658 - Orion Stapleton - walking arm
2020 - Cancelled due to Covid
2021 - 750 - Jonathan Stapleton walking arm
2022 - 810 - Orion Stapleton - walking arm
2023 - 861 - Jonathan Stapleton - walking arm

15th Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival - Sept. 29th, 2024

 

Coming Soon: The 15th Annual Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival in 37 days

When you build your own trebuchet you have the honor of naming it. A name like "Twisted Whipper" is a great one for a trebuchet. It's descriptive and a little scary. 

Heads up Vermont there are now only 37 days until the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival on Sunday, Sept. 29th.

Results of Oct 1st, 2023 - 14th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival

We had a beautiful, clear warm day at the Mayo Event field in Stowe, VT for the fourteenth annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival. There were 11 teams of chuckers, 9 teams in the Chili Cook-Off, 4 food trucks, over 40 craft vendors, 50 volunteers, and roughly 1700 spectators enjoying the hurling, chili judging, craft show, food trucks, 2 bands, a giant robot roaming around the field, kid activities, volleyball tournament and, last but not least, a return visit from crowd favorite Dolores the Tortoise with her handlers. We raised nearly $30,000 for the Clarina Howard Nichols Center (double what the event has raised in the past). The Center’s director, Becky Gonyea, and her merry band of volunteers did an amazing job planning and running the festival for the fifth year in a row!

Stapleton Walking Arm Trebuchet

New Heavyweight record of 861 feet by Jonathan Stapleton’s amazing “Walking Arm” design:

You would think that last year’s Heavyweight record of 792 feet was safe for several more years, but you would be wrong. The very first throw of the competition went a whopping 861 feet and landed in the bush outside of the field. Jonathan and his son Orion also easily won the Middleweight Open Division with a throw of 462 feet. This unique design was copied by 4 other teams in the competition. Of the remaining competitors, two had floating arm designs, one had a whipper configuration, one had a King Arthur design, and not a single competitor had a traditional trebuchet design. See below for details about each team’s results.

Trebuchet team results:

Lightweight Division (limited to 41” and 20 pounds and age 9 and under, the projectile must be over 3 ounces):

No lightweight trebuchets competed this year. One trebuchet was Lightweight size but we put him into the Middleweight Open category so he could compete.

Middleweight Junior Division (limited to 70” and 100 pounds and age 17 and under, the projectile must weigh over 1 pound):

Place: 1st place, received $100 cash

Team members: Tucker Farnham, Eli Shick, Isaac Blaisdale, Ethan Thompson, Miles O’Brien.
Trebuchet name: Pink Panthers (height=70” weight=100 lb)
Address: Colchester, VT
Best throw: actual = 216 feet, adjusted for height = 370 feet
Notes: High school team from Colchester, first-time contestants.

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

Place: 1st place, received $100 cash
Team members: Orion and Jonathan Stapleton
Trebuchet name: Dog Bark Extractor (height=70” weight=100 lb)
Address: Essex, VT
Best throw: actual = 462 feet, adjusted for height = 791 feet
Notes: Orion was a previous record holder in the Middleweight Division with an adjusted throw of 820 feet.

Place: 2nd place, received $50 cash
Team members: Tyler Barnard, Kate Komorowski
Trebuchet name: Just Keep Chuckin’ (height=70” weight=100 lb)
Address: Milton, VT
Best throw: actual = 309 feet, adjusted for height = 529 feet
Notes: The actual throw of 309 was less than Steven McCann’s throw of 327, but Steven’s trebuchet was 18 pounds heavy (118 lb) so when adjusted and scaled came to 441.

Place: 3rd place, received $25 cash
Team members: Steven McCann
Trebuchet name: MAX D 23 (height=70” weight=118 lb)
Address: West Paris, Maine
Best throw: actual = 327 feet, adjusted for height = 441 feet
Notes: Steven and his family are long-time competitors.

Place: 4th place
Team members: Steve McCann and Steven McCann
Trebuchet name: Pumpkin Axe (height=70” weight=103 lb)
Address: West Paris, Maine
Best throw: actual = 252 feet, adjusted for height = 413 feet
Notes: Steve McCann was not able to attend this year due to a social engagement so his dad set up and fired his trebuchet for him.

Place: 5th place
Team members: Michael Porzio, Anthony Stentado, Derek Geno, Tyler McNancy, Whitney McNancy, Gene Torvend
Trebuchet name: Printed Power (height=70’ weight=103 lb)
Address: Roxbury, VT
Best throw: actual = 246 feet, adjusted for height = 403 feet
Notes: Michael challenged his team to design, and 3D print a trebuchet, and compete in 5 days. Their 2 trebuchets looked beautiful and threw successfully.

Place: 6th place
Team members: Roger Duhamel
Trebuchet name: Old Man’s Bucket List (height=40” weight=22 lb)
Address: Milton, VT
Best throw: actual = 126 feet, adjusted for height = 320 feet
Notes: Roger at age 71 is too old to qualify for the Lightweight Division, so we added him to the Middleweight Open Division. His respectable throw of 126 feet scaled up to 320 feet; just enough to bump the event organizer to 7th place.

Place: 7th place
Team members: Dave Jordan
Trebuchet name: Bad Boomer (height=70” weight=109 lb)
Address: Morrisville, VT
Best throw: actual = 205 feet, adjusted for height = 310 feet
Notes: This trebuchet was made by the organizer of the event and author of this summary document. After 14 years of competing, I should have no problem getting a trebuchet to fire correctly. Unfortunately, that is not the case; at least it went forward this year, last year it went backward or straight up in the air.

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

Place: 1st place, received $100 cash
Team members: Jonathan Stapleton
Trebuchet name: Controlled Chaos (height=120” weight=500 lb)
Address: Essex, VT
Best throw: actual = 861 feet, adjusted for height = 861 feet
Notes: Jonathan was the previous record holder with 792 feet and broke his own record by 69 feet! I believe his design is the best in the world. No other design can throw a 5-pound pumpkin that far with a 10-foot-tall trebuchet that weighs only 500 pounds (total).

Place: 2nd place, received $50 cash
Team members: Nicolas Helms, Roderick Owens, Justice Holden, Bruce Penfield
Trebuchet name: Weapons of Medieval Destruction (height=120” weight=500 lb)
Address: Newport, VT
Best throw: actual = 315 feet, adjusted for height = 315 feet
Notes: Nick has been coming to this event for 12 years. He pulled his trebuchet out of the barn the day before the event and managed to get it to fire successfully! That is not an easy task to do.

Best Design:

Each year the winners of the Lightweight, Middleweight Junior, Middleweight Open, and Heavyweight divisions compete against each other for the title of Best Design. This is awarded to the trebuchet that throws the farthest for its height. The Lightweights are scaled up by the ratio of the heavyweight’s height divided by their height: 120” / 41” = 2.93. The Middleweights are scaled up by 120” / 70” = 1.71. The Heavyweights are not scaled at all since they are already 120” tall.

The winner of the Best Design goes to Jonathan Stapleton with a throw of 861 feet. He gets an extra $100 cash.

Throw for Show:

Place: 1st place
Team members: Steve Taylor, Zach Taylor, Alex Taylor, John Taylor
Onager (catapult) name: Chunker T
Address: Upton, MA
Best throw: actual = 693 feet
Notes: This team built a torsion catapult (I believe it is called an onager) which gets its power from the arm trapped inside a massive rope twisted up and then released. This was a weapon used back in the Roman days. I noticed the first few throws didn’t go nearly as far; probably with good reason because this type of machine can easily break with the amount of force generated. They must have cranked that rope up something fierce because their last throw was a line drive that came out like a cannon.

Chili Cook-Off Contest:

There were 9 entries in the chili cookoff. Attendees paid $5 to taste their choice of 5 chili and then voted for their best chili using a number code.

1. First place and $100 cash went to #8 made by Evan Wisell.
2. Second place and $50 cash went to #7 made by Carter Peck.
3. Tied for third place and #25 cash went to #6 Deb’s Place. Also tied for third place and $25 cash went to #4 Rene Proteau.

Second 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 eleven teams during the festival gathering the best players in Vermont and New York.

1. First place went to: Taj Schottland, Lucy Drummond, Josh Bourdeau, and Bin.
2. Second place went to: Dave Rapuano, Max Rooney, Charlie Beckerle, and Josh Nelson.

Dolores the Tortoise:

For the second year in a row, Kelly Carrick brought Dolores, her well-behaved 30-pound tortoise to enjoy the festival. And once again, Dolores was a crowd favorite! Check out Facebook to see some more pictures of Dolores at the festival.

Giant Robot:

Joshua Nye, the head of Nye Mechworks, again brought his giant robot and demonstrated it at the far corner of the field, out of range of most of the pumpkins. If you missed his demo, check out nyemechworks.com for videos and more information on building your own giant robot from cheap, easily found-parts.

Food trucks:

After three food trucks decided to cancel at the last minute, the remaining four vendors stepped up and worked non-stop to serve the large crowd. Thanks to Melted Cheeserie, Mediterranean Mix, Street Treats Ice Cream Truck, and Jenna’s Promise Roasting Company.

Craft Fair:

New to the event this year was a craft fair. Event attendees enjoyed shopping from 40 craft vendors selling a wide variety of products including pottery, jewelry, honey, clothing, maple products, woodworking, artwork, and much more. One vendor said this event was their most profitable event all year.

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 ball rolling with excellent tunes to hurl with all day long.

Business Sponsors:
Thanks to our business sponsors -
Heavyweight: N.A. Manosh Corporation, Smugglers’ Notch Resort.

Middleweight: Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate, Commodities Natural Market, Community National Bank, In Company, Leaves of Change Vermont, Piecasso Family Pizzeria, Seldom Scene Interiors, 10 Railroad Street, The Blue Donkey, Union Bank.

Lightweight: Bourne’s Energy, BunyaBunya, Casella Waste Systems, Cork Restaurant, and Natural Wine Shop, Donald P. Blake Jr. Inc., Edward Jones – Caren Merson, Financial Advisor, Manufacturing Solutions, Inc., Nichols and Associates, P.C., Points North Physical Therapy, The Country Store on Main, The Melted Cheesiere, The Stowe UPS Store, Trombley and Day Group.

Volunteers:

This event would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. 50 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 to the youth volunteers from Peoples Academy and Stowe HS and their coach Sampson Avery.

Please contact me with any suggestions for next year's festival or corrections to this document. Djordan@gmavt.net

We look forward to the next festival, tentatively on Sept. 29th, 2024 at the Mayo Field in Stowe. Check the blog when it gets close because we don’t always get the Sunday we ask for.

Dave Jordan
Festival organizer

Great Event!

Becky Gonyea, Executive Director, of the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, provided us with a very nice round-up of this year's massively successful 14th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival:

Estimated record attendance - 1,700 people!

The event raised nearly $30,000 for the Clarina Howard Nichols Center (double what the event has raised in the past)! Funds raised come from entrance fees, business sponsors, t-shirt sales, the chili cook-off, and craft fair vendor fees. 

Thank you to our business sponsors -
Heavyweight - N.A. Manosh Corporation, Smugglers’ Notch Resort
Middleweight - Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate, Commodities Natural Market, Community National Bank, In Company, Leaves of Change Vermont, Piecasso Family Pizzeria, Seldom Scene Interiors, 10 Railroad Street/The Blue Donkey, Union Bank
Lightweight - Bourne’s Energy, BunyaBunya, Casella Waste Systems, Cork Restaurant & Natural Wine Shop, Donald P. Blake Jr. Inc., Edward Jones – Caren Merson, Financial Advisor, Manufacturing Solutions, Inc., Nichols & Associates, P.C., Points North Physical Therapy, The Country Store on Main, The Melted Cheeserie, The UPS Store, Trombley & Day Group

Chili Cook-off Results -
There were 9 entries into the chili cook-off.
Attendees paid $5 to taste their choice of 5 of the chilis.
They voted for their favorite chili.

The winners are -
1st place - #8 - Evan Wisell
2nd place - #7 - Carter Peck
3rd place - 2-way tie - #6 - Deb's Place and #4 - Renee Proteau

After 3 food/drink vendors canceled at the last minute, the 4 remaining vendors stepped up and worked non-stop to serve the large crowd. Thank you to The Melted Cheeserie, Mediterranean Mix, Street Treats Ice Cream Truck, and Jenna's Promise Roasting Co.

New to the event this year was a craft fair. Event attendees enjoyed shopping from 40 craft vendors who sold a wide variety of products including pottery, jewelry, honey, clothing, maple products, woodworking, artwork, and much more. One vendor said this event was their most profitable event all year.

This event would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. Nearly 50 volunteers helped to make the event a reality. Volunteers assisted with everything from set up to clean up, parking cars, cleaning bathrooms, collecting entrance fees, staffing the kids' activities, measuring pumpkin chuckin' distances, and much more. A special thank you to the youth volunteers from Peoples Academy and Stowe High School.

Becky Gonyea (she/her)
Executive Director
Clarina Howard Nichols Center
PO Box 517, Morrisville, VT 05661
bgonyea@clarina.org
Office - (802) 888-2584 ext. 103
24-Hour Hotline – (802) 888-5256