Punkin Chunkin

World Championship Punkin Chunkin
2008 information will be added as received
Wheatley Farm
Bridgeville, Delaware
Call for information: . 302-684-8196

Punkin Chunkin outgrew its home near Millsboro, and is moving to Bridgeville for the November 2, 3 4, 2007 event.

Some of you may be asking, What is a Punkin Chunk? The Discovery Channel did a segment on the 2002 Punkin Chunk, but that is only a part of the story, To find out more, read on:

History of Punkin Chunkin

To understand Punkin Chunk, you have to understand Sussex County, Delaware’s southernmost county. Covering 946 square miles, Sussex is a combination of many various lifestyles. The saltwater side of Sussex has a unique breed that is made up of individuals raised on the ocean, bays and marshlands of the area, where machines are modified to meet the needs of those individuals. Out of boredom, came an event that has grown to be possibly the second largest two day event in Delaware - second only to the yearly NASCAR races at Dover Downs, 39 miles to the north.

The history of Punkin Chunkin was written down in song in 1989.. A segment of the ballad states, "So the challenge was made and the gauntlet was laid, to build a machine to power a punkin through the air..... John said “springs are the way to go”!... Trey said “I don’t believe so”!" Thus became Punkin Chunkin.

The Punkin Chunkin event began in 1986 when friends John Ellsworth, Bill Thompson, Donald "Doc" Pepper and Trey Melson were in a blacksmith shop in Lewes, Delaware, discussing an article they had seen in the paper about pumpkin tossing. One friend said he could throw a pumpkin farther than that. At that point, Ellsworth threw his hat on the ground (no one had a gauntlet) and the other friends stomped on it, accepting the challenge.

Early Chunkin Championships were won on a farm near Gravel Hill, Delaware. As years passed, longer tosses headed into the woods and distances were difficult to measure.

Punkin Chunkin moved to Eagle Crest Airdome on Highway 1. During the contest in 1997, the highway was shut down whenever a pumpkin was launched. The power of the machines forced the Chunk to move again.

In 1998 the championship moved to a soybean field near Millsboro, Delaware

Since the four original competitors, 100 machines are now entered annually in the competition, and the event has grown to attract crowds of up to 40,000.

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