Pumpkins catapulted for good cause at Pumpkin Palooza

Pumpkins launched for good cause at Palooza Hundreds gathered to launch their Halloween pumpkins at the Pumpkin Palooza in Midhurst which helped raise funds for the Lions Club

Hundreds gathered to launch their Halloween pumpkins at the annual Pumpkin Palooza in Midhurst on Sunday, which helped raise funds for the Lions Club.

“Pumpkin Palooza is a day where you bring your pumpkins from Halloween, take them into trebuchets and catapults and fling them into the field, and deer will take care of them through the winter,” explained Ingolf Goetz, president of the Springwater-Vespra Lions Club.

What began as a small, 20-person event almost a decade ago has grown into a much larger annual event, with around 500 people in attendance on Sunday. The two trebuchets launched pumpkins at a rate of three-to-four per minute, each getting launched with nearly 400 pounds of force.

Last year’s Pumpkin Palooza raised $2,000 for the Lions Club, which helps supports local community projects.

“The Midhurst community is becoming younger and younger. There’s a generational change,” added Goetz. “The Lions have been around since 1985 so it’s a great group.”