Fall fair hosts unique pumpkin chunking competition

This weekend’s 174th annual Orillia Fall Fair at ODAS Park hosted a first-ever pumpkin chunking competition, where participants designed trebuchets to launch pumpkins as far and as accurately as they could.

Four teams – including local construction companies and a high school – took part in the competition, launching eight-to-ten-pound pumpkins as close as possible to a target 300 feet away.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

“I’ve been watching these on the web for years always wanted to do it,” said Chad Cooke, president of the Orillia District Agriculture Society. “It is something you just don’t get to see every day.”

Each team had three launching opportunities and the team with the closest single shot to the target won the competition.

Orillia Construction Association vice-president and team captain Peter Head says there were also bragging rights on the line.

“The whole trebuchet was construction-based, working with wood. We are the construction association so we figured it would be a good tie in, and who doesn’t want to throw a pumpkin,” joked Head. “The deer are going to eat well tonight.”

Fair organizers hope the pumpkin chunking competition can become an annual one.

“We’re hoping for a whole lot more [teams] next year as we grow this event and turn this into an annual competition,” added Cooke.