This weekend is the last weekend to enjoy festivities of the Fall Festival at the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence. Admission is FREE on this final weekend October 31 and November 1. You can purchase tickets on the grounds for the attractions including the Cornmaze, Mining, Hayrides and more.
Ten teams from area high schools competed, with the following results:
Longest Single Throw:
Combined Throws (Total):
There was a five-way tie between Forestville; Fredonia; Hamburg; Harkness East and Williamsville South for the Storming The Castle honors.
Depew, Williamsville South and Forestville shared the “Team Spirit” Award.
Area high school technology teams have been working for weeks to design and build trebuchets (pronounced treb-yeh-SHETs) to compete in this weekend’s 14th annual Pumpkin Catapult Contest, as part of The Great Pumpkin Farm’s Fall Festival. Twelve teams from area schools are scheduled to compete for distance and accuracy and with enough precision to win cash prizes and trophies for their schools and prestige for their teams.
The competition starts at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 20, with winners being announced at approximately 3:00 p.m.*
Here is a list of competing schools:
*NOTE: Media can call Nancy Cardillo at 716.472.6728 after 1:30 p.m. Sunday to get a better idea of the time the winners will be announced.
A trebuchet is a slingshot-like weapon used in medieval siege warfare that relies only on counterweight – no springs, motors, or agents like gun powder – to hurl large stones or other missiles. In this competition, pumpkins are the “missiles.”
Teams are required to design, build and test their trebuchet using knowledge learned in math, science and technology courses. Trebuchets must be constructed only of wood and the hardware necessary for assembly; no other materials can be used, except for reinforcement of gussets and load-bearing areas, and trebuchets must meet requirements set forth by the rules of the contest.
Cash prizes are awarded for the longest distance shot, highest total combined shots and for “storming the castle”(hitting a target 150 feet away). All teams receive a plaque for participating.
Students from Depew High School took two of the top three honors last year (for the second consecutive year): Longest Single Throw (687 feet) and Combined Throws (total of 2,004 feet). Pioneer Central took the Storming the Castle trophy.
There’s an extra day this weekend to enjoy all the fun, as the Great Pumpkin Farm’s Fall Festival’s fifth weekend extends into Monday, October 14 (Columbus Day).
The big event is the Annual Pumpkin Drop, which takes place on Monday, October 14 at 12:00 p.m. in conjunction with 97 Rock. Ninety-seven lucky pre-selected
97 Rock listeners will get to compete for prizes once the 1,000 pumpkin is dropped from a
100-foot-high crane, spilling guts, seeds and numbered discs that correspond to prizes. It’s something to see, for sure! Visit http://www.97rock.com/2019/09/25/pumpkin/ for more information, complete rules and to sign up.
Monday, October 14 is also Wristband Day. Guests can purchase a wristband for $18 and enjoy unlimited amusement rides from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (This is in addition to the admission fee.)
The 24th annual World Pumpkin Weigh-off took place today at the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence and, once again, the results were over the top!
There were 11 entries this year.
Here are the winners:
One of the Great Pumpkin Farm’s most popular events, the annual World Pumpkin Weigh-off, takes place this weekend as part of the Farm’s 24th annual Fall Festival.
Judging for The World Pumpkin Weigh-off begins at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5; winners will be announced and prizes awarded as soon as all the entries have been officially weighed. The owner of the heaviest pumpkin at the World Pumpkin Weigh-off will take home the top prize of $5,000, (with the chance to win twice that amount and earn a world record if their pumpkin weighs over 2,000 pounds!). Cash prizes will also be awarded for second through sixth places.
Last year’s winner was Karl Haist of Clarence Center, NY, whose pumpkin weighed in at 2,027 pounds – setting a New York State record and becoming the first 2,000 pound pumpkin in state history! The Great Pumpkin Farm also saw the first 1000 lb. pumpkin during its 1996 Fall Festival – 1,061 pounds – and it went right into the Guinness Book of World records!
Visit www.greatpumpkinfarm.com/event/world-pumpkin-weigh-off/ for more information on the Annual World Pumpkin Weigh-off.
It’s also Superheroes Weekend at the Fall Festival this Saturday and Sunday, in conjunction with WNY Superheroes and Cosplayers. In addition to taking your chances in the superhero-themed corn maze, you can meet, greet and have your photo taken with your favorite superhero from noon to 4:00 p.m. both days – FREE with your paid admission. Superheroes scheduled to appear include Catwoman; Superman; Belle; Rapunzel; the Penguin and Buffalo’s Wolverine. Plus there might be a few surprise superheroes…you never know!