Volunteer fire company’s are facing constant financial challenges to pay for equipment and other costs. Tomorrow in Center County, one of those fire companies will stage an annual fundraising event that has become a bit of a community favorite.
Gary Sinderson explains. It is that time again, punkin chunkin time in the category of fun and unique fundraisers. Punkin Chunkin is among the best. It’s a pretty simple concept make pumpkin fly using catapults, cannons and any other contraptions.
Add food, music. Several thousand people and a lot of fun.
“There’s a lot of people like they never heard of the event before. It’s sort of like, what is Punkin Chunkin? Well, it’s like, well, I’ll show you a video. We’ll show them a video like, oh, I got to go.”
All the big names in the pumpkin aeronautics business will be here. And we have some record holders here. Chunk n ology is here. The Smoking Llamas are here.
Destroyer is here, monkeying around is here. ”
The pumpkin launchers are set up along the lake shoreline at the park. When we stop by, crews are working on the trunk analogy canon it and the other launch machines fire the pumpkin skyward and they splash down in the lake.
Most importantly, the event is a huge fundraiser for the Howard Fire Company.
“This is very vital. We we need about a hundred and twenty one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars a year just to break even on our expenses to operate.
We only get about seventeen thousand dollars from municipal support. That leaves the lion’s share to be made up in fundraisers. Thankfully, this will bring in about twenty five percent of that balance that we have to get.”
In past crowds, about the 15,000 have been here for Punkin Chunkin.
Another big turnout is expected Saturday, especially with the event being canceled last year.
The festivities here at the Bald Eagle State Park get underway Saturday morning. We’re just off a route 150 north of Howard here in Centre County at the mission control headquarters for Punkin Chunkin.
