Countdown to Hurl-time

There are now only six day until the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Other Activities at Pumpkin Chuckin' --

The Lamoille Family Center of Morrisville will be running numerous activities for children at the Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival including – face painting, bean bag toss, ring toss, noodle necklaces, corn pool, costume characters, and more. 

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Our Annual Safety Message:

We once again want to remind all our competitors that safety must be a critical part of all your procedures for firing your trebuchet.

Hoisting your counterweight and arming your trebuchet is just as dangerous as the actual firing. For example, checkout the following video show the aftermath of a very severe accident that occurred during the filming of the reality TV show Little People, Big World.

The episode was entitled, "Trebuchet Trouble" and it had the following incident:

Jacob Roloff, 9, and Michael Detjen, 58, were injured when a 25-foot-high wooden trebuchet at Roloff Farms fired prematurely. The machine's 2,000-pound concrete counterweight dented Jacob's skull, requiring surgery, and repeatedly slammed into Detjen, a retired Beaverton engineer who needed 200-plus stitches.

 Wikipedia adds this account of the accident:

Jacob Roloff and family friend Mike Detjen, were seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on Saturday, October 28, 2006 (episode aired April 9, 2007). They were injured when the family's trebuchet (which they use to launch pumpkins as part of the pumpkin season promotion) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby St. Vincent Hospital and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Jacob and Mike recovered from the injuries and were released on Monday, October 30, 2006.

Although a TLC camera crew were at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The accident, therefore, was not recorded. Prior to the airing of two new episodes on November 4, TLC aired a brief segment with Matt and Amy acknowledging the accident and thanking everyone for their support. Jacob was shown with what appeared to be an injury around his right eye.

Footage taken shortly after the accident occurred on the farm was shown December 16 in the final minutes of the season finale, "Farm Overload." A crowd had gathered around Jacob, who was lying on the ground near the trebuchet. The first two episodes of season 3 focus on the accident, and how the local media reacted to it.

Fortunately everyone survived this accident. But, the moral is that trebuchets are dangerous and fragile weapons. They are war machines. Happily, VTPC does not allow 2000-pound concrete counterweights, but any of of the machines in our three weight categories (20, 100, and 500 lb) can still put a big dent in your skull if they malfunction.  If you need more reasons to pay attention to safety, go back and checkout one of our old videos of Dave J's trebuchet having a massive failure before last year's VTPC.

Be safe out there all hurlers.

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To be safe and stay injury free,
There's a way your trebuchet must be,
Well set-up and inspected,
With no hazard neglected,
Do-it-right, that's your best guarantee. 

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Reminders: A Fortnight to Go, and BYOP

Only two weeks now until the Great Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th.

A reminder:  BYOP = Bring Your Own Pumpkins

Competitors are please reminded to bring their own pumpkins for the competition. They should be pre-weighed to make sure they are at least 3 ounces for the lightweight, at least 1 pound for the middleweight, and at least 5 pounds for the heavyweight. Bring at least 3 to throw and more to practice. Dave J. will provide a dummy ball (or two ) just in case people can't find or don't bring pumpkins.

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Same price as last year...

It's been decided to keep the cost for the VTPC festival the same as last year.

Admission to the festival will cost $5 for anybody 4 years old or older (spectator or competitor), free for 3 and under, $20 (max) for an immediate family. The festival goes from 11 am to dark, featuring three rounds of competitive pumpkin chuckin' starting at 12 noon after the National Anthem is sung by Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram.

The 2nd round of firing is at 1pm, 3rd round at 2pm with awards shortly after the last round. No dogs and no alcohol please. Parking is free. Food will be provided by the Rotary.

It's a fantastic bargain. So, come on down to the Boyden Family Farm and support your Cambridge Area Rotary Club!

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 BFF = Boyden Family Farm / Pumpkin Chuckin' Heaven

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In addition to being a great location for your next event, Boyden Farm is a real, working family farm, and has been for the Boyden family for almost 100 years!

Check out Facebook: The Barn at Boyden Farm

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Some final words of wisdom from The 10 Commandments of Trebuchet Hurling, or the Pumpkin Chuckin' Code of Conduct:

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via Craig Simmons

Countdown to 4th VT Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

There are only 22 days until the 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th, at the Boyden Family Farm in Cambridge, VT.  A few notes:

Here is the press release for this year's festival.

Travel New England has included the VTPC Festival on its list of Vermont 2012 Fall Festivals, Harvest Festivals, Apple Festivals and More.

Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, who will be singing the National Anthem at our festival on Oct. 7th, reports on her various activities around Vermont on her facebook page.

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Delaware has put their Punkin Chunkin event on their "Delaware Bucket List." If you are a Vermonter it is your Green Mountain duty to put, going to the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival, on yours.

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Pumpkin People are always de-vine

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New Trebuchet World Record, and a New Holy Grail...

Pompoenschieten Bikschote

Big News from the European Pumpkin Catapulting Contest:

September 3, 2012 -- SiegeMasters is proud to announce the establishment of a new World Record for a Gravity powered Trebuchet with a 10-Lb pumpkin.

Dateline Sunday, September 02, 2012
Bikschote, West Flanders, Belgium
Today, the giant Whipper type Trebuchet known as Excalibur threw a 10-Lb pumpkin for a distance of 763.3 meters (2,504.33 feet), which exceeds last years WCPC Adult Trebuchet winner by 177.66 feet.

The World Championship of Punkin Chunkin is held in Delaware, USA the first weekend in November and will determine if this new record will stand.

Until then, Our most hearty congratulations.

The final world record distance was amended slightly to 2504.26509 feet. This is 177.665 feet better than the US/World Championship Punkin Chunkin, WCPC record of 2,326.60 feet set in 2011, by the Yankee Siege II team in the Adult Trebuchet Class.

Yankee Siege 2, November 10, 2011

via Craig Simmons, who has a great collection of trebuchet photos.

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Here is a slow motion test firing of Excalibur (the new record holder) from 2010:

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If you are interested in serious trebuchet engineering checkout Craig Simmons full facebook page. He builds traditional, modern and experimental trebuchets in his spare time.

Trebuchet Workshop
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Emperor Twang - Whipper

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Finally, here is a great pumpkin hurling contest for kids out on Long Island, New York. The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Pumpkin Fling:


These kids are building some serious trebuchets. This year's Pumpkin Fling will be held on Saturday, October 27th, 2012, at the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY.

Pre-Season Pumpkin Chuckin' Notes

Here are some short notes as we get ready for Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' 2012

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1. Earlier Start

The 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin trebuchet competition will start at 12 noon, on Sunday, October 7th, 2012.

Please note that this year's 12 noon starting time for the pumpkin hurling is an hour earlier than last year. The first round of pumpkin hurling will begin immediately after Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram, sings our national anthem at 12 noon. The gates are open to spectators at 11 am.

Competitors may start setting up their machines anytime after 8 am on the day of the competition at Boyden Family Farms. There is no mandatory time, just give yourself enough time to get checked-in, and get your machine setup so you are ready to hurl at 12 noon. Thank you.

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2. Fine Tuning the Trebs

Planning for this year's Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival is getting serious. Here is a behind the scenes photo of a trebuchet design and 'optimization' meeting down in East Haddam, Connecticut on August 19th. Sorry no pictures allowed of the new trebuchet -- it is still top secret!

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3. Makin' Fun

Jérôme Cann, who is the Program Director for Vermont's first annual Champlain Maker Faire has extended an open invitation to any and all Vermont Pumpkin Chuckers. You are invited to exhibit your machines (catapults, trebuchets, canon, etc.) and skills at their Champlain Maker Faire on Saturday, September 29, 2012. It will be held at Shelburne Farms, VT. This is on the weekend before our 4th Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Maker Faire is not a crafts-for-sale fair, but is an event where Makers bring, share and teach what they make to other Makers and to the general public.  Participation in the event is free for those Makers that simply want to share their love of making things with other Makers and the public. There is a nominal fee for those makers wishing to sell what they make during the event.

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' organizer and competitor Dave Jordan is planning to take his new 10' trebuchet over to the Maker Faire and exhibit/demo it. If you are interesting in joining him at the faire with our own hurling machine please give Dave a call or email him. You will also need to fill out an online Maker Faire application. If you are visiting the Faire please stop by and say hi to Dave.

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4. Some Huring History:
Knights standing in front of trebuchet, nervously trying to figure out where the rock will fall, from the Siege of Acre, 1189-1191, Third Crusade:

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5. Punkin Chunkin Catapult 2012 Election Prediction

Roman Revenge, a 7 ton Punkin Chunkin catapult competitor lets chance take a stab at predicting the winner of the 2012 presidential election. One side of the 10 lb bowling ball was labeled "Romney 12," and the other side was labeled "Obama 12." The winner will have their name face up of course...

Roman Revenge does not endorse any presidential candidate.

Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will Sing Anthem at Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

 Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will sing the anthem at Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

Exciting news to announce: Chelsea Ingram, Miss Vermont 2012, will be visiting the Fourth Annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival on Sunday, October 7th.

Chelsea Ingram, who is also the weekend meteorologist for Fox44 and ABC22 News in Burlington, VT, will sing the national anthem at the start of the Pumpkin Chuckin' competition. Chelsea will also sign some autographs, perhaps sing a few other songs, and talk about her platform issue of heart health.

During her year as Miss Vermont, Chelsea Ingram will travel throughout Vermont advocating her platform issue. "Raising a new generation of heart healthy adults has been a passion of mine ever since my dad was diagnosed with heart disease. It’s time for my generation, Miss Vermont and Miss America to lead a new generation; a generation where heart health is a priority, a generation where Vermonters are accountable for their health and the health of our children,” said Ingram. She will talk to various government representatives, business leaders, community groups and citizens-at-large, urging them to get involved in fostering heart health programs.

If she is crowned Miss America in January, the on-air forecaster and trained opera singer will become the first Miss Vermont to wear the national crown.

There are 139 days until Chelsea competes at the Miss America 2013 pageant in Las Vegas on January 12, 2013. She was crowned Miss Vermont on July 1st.

We are all very excited to have Chelsea visit the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival. Her goal of helping to raising a new generation of heart health adults fits very nicely with the VTPC goal of giving people a healthy and fun outdoor activity that promotes a healthy mind and body.

There are now only 41 days until the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Da Vinci Day

The Da Vinci Day that was held by the Lyme School, on May19, 2012, was a big success. Junior trebuchet builders had a chance to show off their engineering skills.

The Lyme School Newsletter reported:

Encouraging students to think creatively, be curious, challenge themselves, take risks and be comfortable communicating their ideas. These event as well as those mentioned above are just a few of the opportunities that students have to strengthen these habits. They are also opportunities for us to have fun and appreciate how talented, knowledgeable and creative we all are (as well as get splattered by dye filled water balloons launched by trebuchets-- resulting in a Lyme version of “tie dye” - now known as “trebu-dye”).

Many have already asked whether we will have a Da Vinci Day next year and what the “Challenge Build” will be. The answer is ABSOLUTELY there will be a Davinci day! And as for what the challenge will be?... You will have to wait and see, but it will result in splatter. Thanks to all that volunteered and helped raise over $2,500 for the LIFE fund and the programs like Spanish and Inquiry Based Science.

Here are some photos from the trebuchet event at the Lyme School's Da Vinci Day:

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A very cool wheeled, red Floating Arm Trebuchet (FAT) at Da Vinci Day

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A Lyme original, Trebu-dyed shirt!