| Address |
| Bridgeville, Delaware, United States |
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| Information |
Punkin' Chunkin'
The first weekend following Halloween every year, the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' competition is held in this field in Bridgeville, Delaware. More than a hundred teams compete at the three-day event, using devices they have constructed, such as catapults and air cannons, in an attempt to launch pumpkins a greater distance than the others. Over the years, the competition has expanded into a fall festival with multiple activities for crowds to participate in besides watching the pumpkin hurling competition.
The Origin of Punkin' Chunkin'
Punkin' Chunkin' began in Lewes, Delaware back in 1986 as a competition between friends John Ellsworth, Trey Melson, Bill Thompson and Donald "Doc" Pepper. The men had seen a news story about a college physics class that had tossed pumpkins as a class project. Discussion of the story led to a friendly competition between the friends, who set about building devices to see which of them could launch a pumpkin the furthest. The first competition was held in a field belonging to Bill Thompson. The pumpkin launcher built by Thompson and Melson won that first competition with their pumpkin landing 126 feet away from the launcher.
The friends made the competition into an annual tradition, which drew more competitors over time. It also led to the creation of more and more complex pumpkin launchers being built with further and further distances being achieved. It even resulted in some competitors raising special pumpkins bred for toughness so that the gourds will survive their launch and flight - a shot disqualifies if the pumpkin shatters prior to its landing, a dreaded situation referred to jokingly by Punkin' Chunkers as "pumpkin pie in the sky." The Punkin' Chunkin' competition outgrew Thompson's field as the sport drew larger and larger crowds of spectators and launchers flung pumpkins increasing distances, leading to the competition being relocated to its current location. While there are now multiple pumpkin-launching events (under names such as Pumpkin Chucking or Pumpkin Chunking) across the United States and in Europe, Delaware remains home to the World Championship competition. The event draws crowds in the thousands and is taped by the Science Channel for annual broadcast on Thanksgiving night. The stars of the Mythbusters television show became hosts for the Punkin' Chunkin' broadcast in 2010.
Events and Competitions
The competitions at the World Championship (also referred to as the Chunk) is broken up into various categories (based on type of launcher) and classes (based on the age of the team). Categories for pumpkin launchers include air cannon (which fire the farthest of the devices), torsion, catapult, trebuchet, human power, centrifugal and theatrical (the last category is more about presentation than the actual launching). Generally, the pumpkins launched are 8 - 10 lbs, but may vary based on the category or class of the particular competition. The pumpkins fired from the air canons have been known to reach speeds of more than 500 miles per hour and fly for thousands of feet. Check the official Web site for Punkin' Chunkin' to discover the current record distance is (see Related Sites below).
Another competition at the Chunk is the Punkin' Chunkin' Cooking Contest. Competitors in the cook-off have to use pumpkin as an ingredient in their recipes. Categories for the contest include appetizers and sauces, beverages, cakes and breads, cookies (includes candy and snacks), desserts and pastries and a final category for professional chefs and restaurants who compete. The recipes are made available to championship attendees in the form of a book sold at the event. The No Holds Barred Chili Cookoff is also held at the Chunk, with the recipes also made available in the Punkin' Chunkin' cookbook for sale at that event.
The Punkin' Chunkin' World Championship also features the Miss Punkin Chunkin Pageant. The beauty pageant has multiple categories for contenders based on their age and marital status. The categories include Tiny Miss, Little Miss, Junior Miss, Teen, Miss and Mrs. Punkin Chunkin.
Visiting the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin'
The event does not have a proper address, but can be found near the intersection of Chaplains Chapel Road and Seashore Highway. Besides the events and competitions mentioned above, there are also carnival rides and food/souvenir vendors at the Chunk. Alcohol is not available for sale, but can be brought on site by spectators. A large portion of the money raised at the event goes to charity and is also used for scholarships. For further information visit the official Web site for the Punkin' Chunkin' World Championship (see Related Sites below). |
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| Related Sites |
Punkin' Chunkin' Official Web Site
The offical Web site for the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' competition located in Sussex County, Delaware. |
Wikipedia: Pumpkin Chunking
Wikipedia article for the sport of Pumpkin Chunking. |
Punkin' Chunkin' Pageant
Blog for the pageant held at the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' in Sussex County, Delaware. |
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