Pumpkins sprout wings at Moab Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival
In medieval times, catapults and trebuchets launched projectiles into enemy territory. With the advent of gunpowder, they were quickly cast aside in favor of more powerful artillery, but the allure of flinging objects through the air never faded. The lost art of making inanimate objects soar will be rediscovered this fall as the Youth Garden Project presents the fourth annual Moab Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival on October 31, 2009 at the Old Airport Runway just south of Moab, Utah. Teams from CEU will travel to Moab to fire the trebuchets they built as part of their physics class at CEU.
In medieval times, catapults and trebuchets launched projectiles into enemy territory. With the advent of gunpowder, they were quickly cast aside in favor of more powerful artillery, but the allure of flinging objects through the air never faded. The lost art of making inanimate objects soar will be rediscovered this fall as the Youth Garden Project presents the fourth annual Moab Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival on October 31, 2009 at the Old Airport Runway just south of Moab, Utah. Teams from CEU will travel to Moab to fire the trebuchets they built as part of their physics class at CEU.
This fall harvest festival includes contests for people of all ages, live music and entertainment, vendor booths, and a wide range of characters roaming the festival grounds. The festival’s main event, the Pumpkin Chuckin’ Contest, is open to anyone craving a challenging experience that requires creativity, ingenuity, and a love of launching stuff. Entrants compete in one of four divisions: catapults, trebuchets, air cannons, and sling shots with a special youth category in each division.
No knowledge of physics or math is required to watch the launching competition or to enjoy live bluegrass music by Cosy Sheridan and T.R. Ritchie in the morning and the Metamoocil Mountain Boys in the afternoon. In the spirit of an old time fair, the event features pumpkin pie eating and seed spitting contests, costumed Wiener dog races, a straw-bale maze for kids and other games and craft activities for children. A variety of talented local and regional artists will have their work available for sale.
The event brings together community organizations, local farmers, artisans, and musicians with members of the community to celebrate the harvest – and is a perfect way to enjoy the crisp Utah fall weather amidst the towering LaSal Mountains and red rock mesas. Proceeds from the event support the Youth Garden Project, a non-profit in Moab that grows food, kids and community.
The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Halloween Day. Discount tickets will be sold at WabiSabi and Arches Book Company. Tickets at the door are Adults $10 and Children $5. For more information on the Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival, visit the Youth Garden Project’s web site at www.youthgardenproject.org or call 435-259-2326.
