Innovative minds are invited to put their imaginations to work and compete to see who can launch a pumpkin the highest and furthest.
The Okotoks Optimists Club is running its second annual Pumpkin Chunkin’ event on Oct. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Country Living and Garden Centre at the corner of Highway 7 and Highway 783.
“We’re trying to make it bigger and better this year,” said event organizer Brad Pond, adding there were only three entries for the inaugural event in 2019, making it more of an exhibition than a competition.
It was something Pond had wanted to bring to the community for about eight years before it got off the ground last year.
“It’s not my unique idea,” he said. “There are lots of these events around B.C. and the States, and I just thought it would be a great idea for Okotoks.”
Though it’s still two months away, he said this gives people more hours to work at their machines and try to come up with the best catapult or trebuchet, pneumatic cannon or centrifuge.
Entry into the contest is $100 and contestants will have the chance to launch a pumpkin using their device to see who can make theirs fly the furthest into the field. All proceeds raised go to the Okotoks Optimist Club, to be reinvested into the community through charitable works supporting children’s activities like arts and sports.
“As a club we’ve just been around for a year and a half, so we’re still getting established,” said Pond. “So funds this year will go back into the club for future events and fundraising.”
Some of the gourds will be filled with things like pudding for an epic explosion on impact, he said.
“It’s just good, clean, messy fun,” said Pond. “We can launch some pumpkins into a field, we can fill them with pudding and other fun stuff and just explode some things.”
The club is putting the call out to local businesses and municipalities, as well as other service clubs, to incite a little friendly competition and raise the number of entries, he said.
For more information on the club or event, visit Okotoks Optimist Club on Facebook.
Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca
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