Since she was nine years old, Layla Fyock of Punxsutawney has been chunkin’ pumpkins. On Saturday the 15-year-old brought her own trebuchet to the annual Pumpkin Chunkin’ event in Hawthorn.
“My grandfather and I went to check it out one year and now we have been doing this for six years,” she said. “I like to see how far we can get the pumpkins to go with just a little bit of weight on the trebuchet.
“I use very small pumpkins but “Poppy” (Tracy Wingert) can use bowling ball-sized pumpkins,” said Fyock. She said the pumpkins are donated.
The Chinese first used trebuchets in the 4th century and both Christians and Muslims used trebuchets in the 12th century.
Today trebuchets, catapults and compressed air cannons are used for chunkin’ pumpkins.
Layla and her grandfather, Tracy Wingert, use a counterweight trebuchet that uses a weight to swing the arm.
Tracy Wingert of Punxsutawney who built the machines said he is “a machinist by trade and carpenter by heart.” His crew consists of Layla, Bobby Wingert and Bobby Adams. Their team is “Monkey N Around.”
“I have always had a fascination with medieval weaponry and when the grandkids saw this and said ‘let’s do this’, I was in,” he said.
Wingert was able to “mark something off his bucket list” when he launched a flaming pumpkin.
“Imagine how that would look at night!” he said.
The trebuchets were dwarfed by another piece of artillery, a roughly 24-foot long, compressed air-powered cannon. The crew from Mac’s Tree and Stump Removal in Summerville fired the cannon both for distance and accuracy.
About 150 people (and a few dogs) attended the event, which is held annually.