So I know it's not Ocean County related, but I'm happy to announce that Punkin Chunkin is Back! This is something I have personally wanted to attend for years, but couldn't due to various comitments, and now that it's BACK, and Liam (my Son) is getting old enough to really start appreciating something like this (he will be 3 when it happens) I think it would be a great family outting for us. It's not that far of a trek, shouldn't be too expensive, and provide something that can be a tradition for years to come.
After a long 3 year hiatus where the WCPCA has been able to reach an agreement with the Wheatley's whom own the farm where the event was last successfully held in 2013.
“There is a certain level of relief that we are returning to where we have been successfully able to hold the event but we still have a lot ahead of us”
“People need to realize that we are a non-profit and all the money we make at our annual event is given back,”
Thanks to negotiations with the Wheatley's, the linking of a new insurance policy to protect the Wheatleys in the event something goes wrong, and talks with the Govenor and other state officials, Punkin Chunking will return to Delware in 2016!
Through the years they have unsucessfully tried to move the event to a more regulated venue such as the Dover International Speedway, where it was first slated to be held on October 24-26th in 2014 but was then postponed to November 6th-8th 2015 siting issues with relocating the event.
“Moving an event the size of Punkin Chunkin is not easy even when time is not a factor,” said John Huber, World Championship Punkin Chunkin president. “Both the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association and Dover International Speedway were cautiously optimistic that the event would happen as scheduled. Ultimately, the collective decision was made to postpone the event .
“Both organizations are committed to hosting the event on Dover International Speedway grounds in 2015, and with one year of lead time, we are confident we can pull off a first-class event for fans, sponsors and competitors.”
But in October 2015 it was announced by the WCPCA that the event had been canceled citing problems finding insurnace coverage for the event. As mentioned above, the WCPCA is a Non-Profit organazation that donates back all the money not used to put on the event so that can make it hard to fund cost increases from year to year.
A Quote from the WCPCA Website:
The World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA) is a trademark nonprofit that raises money for scholarships, as well as organizations that benefit youth and the local community. We host a signature pumpkin-launching event each year, fueling innovative engineering and science-based ideas that draw spectators from all over. We believe that Punkin Chunkin cultivates the odd, challenging, and competitive quest for distance that inspires creativity, ingenuity, teamwork, and passion. It is this very dedication that drives teams to compete using science and engineering skills and brings spectators to the gate which allows us to continue our never ending thirst to support our scholarship and charitable programs.
Also of note, is the fact that there are licensed/Official WCPCA Punkin Chunkin events in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Hampsire. But acording to the PA Pumpkin Sling's website, the PA event is currenly searching for a new venue.
For More Information, you can visit the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association's Website @ https://www.punkinchunkin.com/
