Gourd Tossing

This fundraiser is a spin off from the popular punkin’ chunkin’ competition. It is a great one to run in the fall during pumpkin and gourd growing season. You can either allow teams to build their own catapult or trebuchet, or just build one to do all the flinging. Each team could pay an entry fee or people could pay to sponsor a pumpkin or gourd to be flung. Prizes should be awarded to the team that can throw the pumpkin the farthest. Have a second event for throwing for accuracy. Have a pumpkin target shoot, where teams fire mini gourds at cardboard standees trying to knock them over. You will want to set up in a long open space, such as a football field or unused farm field. An abandoned air field is also a good idea. Set up a concession stand with hot mulled cider, corn dogs and maybe a corn roast. Have a bake sale at the event for pumpkin related items such as pies, muffins, and cookies. Announce that there will be no wasted pumpkins, as you are having a bake sale the following week for pumpkin pies, muffins, and cookies. Take advantage of the Halloween season and sell pumpkins for carving into jack-o-lanterns. Or you could hold the event after Halloween and allow people to toss their old carved pumpkins.

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Patsy Fishkin

We have done this at our halloween festival for the last three years running now and it is always a huge hit. Each team builds their own catapult with their own money and then get sponsors who will pay a certain amount per foot the pumpkin gets flung by their catapult. This makes the kids to work hard on their catapults and every year it seems they're making the things more sophisticated!!