Catholics win Punkin’ Chunkin’ Open
BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Editor
With temperatures in the mid 40s, a bone-chilling wind and a freshly-harvested field at the ready, conditions were about perfect for smashing pumpkins on the North Dakota prairie on Sunday.
Cars and trucks lined the ditch out at the Sheldon farm near Washburn Sunday afternoon as crowds of hundreds of people waited for the signal to launch.
Three Washburn competitors showed up including the originators, the Lutherans as well as the Methodists and the Catholics. Each had similar trebuchets, but minor design differences meant each performed in unique ways.
The Lutherans’ launcher was rather exciting as some of the pumpkins were launched straight up and nearly landed on those launching the pumpkins. Various machinery parts including a pin release and tractor weights added nice flair.
The Methodists’ trebuchet had an exercise weight system that could easily be changed to try any number of weight combinations.
