Punkin Chunkin is back and punkin chunkers are already getti

even australia – could not be more excited about it – avid chunkers – were able to start setting up their contraptions today and 47 abc’s dani bozzini caught up with one team ready for friday’s contest — track one these may look like empty corn fields now – but come friday – these fields will be packed with thousands of people – and over one hundred pumpkin launchers punkin chunkin president – frank payton — tells 47 abc he couldn’t be more excited– 19;05;22;35 what you see here right behind me is the most exciting thing thats going to be happening in sussex county delaware this weekend — punkin chunkin is back in bridgeville delaware 19;05;30;18 track two franks not the only one — cal foote has been an avid punkin chunker participant since 2011– after stumbling upon an ad on the internet — but he didn’t just drive up the road to be here — he and his family flew all the way from sydney, australia — to compete in this year’s punkin chunkin debuting his newest contraption — chunkin from down under two — that he and his kids designed and built — 19;32;35;28 one of the things thats really important to me is to foster engineering skills in my kids so my children helped me build this and they helped with the design 19;32;46;31 track three only a crate now — by friday — it will fully formed… 19;34;25;17 we’re going to put those weights into boxes and then we raise those boxes using an electrical wench and then when its ready to fire we let those boxes fall unwind the wench that spins up a motor and then that pumpkin slings off that rotar 19;34;42;02 track four chucking the pumpkin just like this. nat sound track five even though it’s a lot of time and energy that goes into making a machine that chucks pumpkins — foote says its the spirit and comeraderie during the event — that makes it such a fun —family affair — dani bozzini, 47 abc cal foote’s punkin chunkin machine isnt the only — type of machine used to chuck the pumpkins — there are actually several different kinds — and several different categories of competition. foote’s contraption is a centrifugal machine — one that builds up force through circular motions to launch the pumpkins in the air — punkin chunkin president — frank payton — says there are five other machines people use as well — including torsion — or twisted rope and a crowd favorite — air cannons. the builders of this air cannon expect it to launch more than — three thousand feet. and aside from different machine types — there are categories as well for kids to get in on the fun. 19;10;58;04 each team can win in their perspective categories so we have the 10 and under and we have two classes there — they will receive medals and trophies and be able to go on stage and be recognized. 11 to 17 for each of their categories will get medals and trophies for that but there is going to be one overall winner of the entire competition and that is who can chunk a pumpkin the furthest 19;11;19;16 frank payton says — the overall winner — doesn’t receive money — rather the satisfaction of being able to successfully launch the farthest pumpkin — among 108 competitors — the money made at punkin chunkin will be given back to the community — at various non profits. coming up – federal investigators — are now looking into