Annual Pumpkin Chuckin Contest in Morton, Illinois

For over a decade, October in the small central Illinois town of Morton has been a time of harvest celebration, Halloween, fall weather - and flying pumpkins. The Pumpkin Chuckin contest is an annual local tradition. This family fun event reached national acclaim when "chuckin" teams were guests on popular night talk shows with David Letterman and Jay Leno. The Pumpkin Chuckin contest continues each year and is definitely a sight to see!

The small Illinois town of Morton declared itself the Pumpkin Capital of the World in 1978, due to being home of Nestle/Libby's pumpkin packing plant. Today, over 85% of canned pumpkin is produced in Morton. The pumpkin canning season in mid-September is celebrated with an annual Pumpkin Festival. Remaining pumpkins are kept in anticipation of the Pumpkin Chuckin contest, which usually takes place in early to mid-October.

Morton compares its pumpkin "chuckin" to age-old chucking contests of stones, javelins and anvils. The Pumpkin Chuckin contest is open to teams, including a children's and adults category. Teams compete to see whose pumpkin gets tossed the farthest. The Pumpkin Chuckin contest has become a serious affair; teams build machines to help chuck their pumpkins, including air cannons and catapults. One of the most famous machines is the Q36 Pumpkin Modulator, an air cannon that was featured on the Dave Letterman Show. The Q36 Pumpkin Modulator is in the Guiness Book of World Records for a pumpkin shot 4,680 feet. Another famous machine from the Pumpkin Chuckin contest is the Acme Catapult, which appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2003, tossing appliances and baskets of melons.

During the Pumpkin Chuckin contest, competitors fight for the title of "Punkin Chucker Supreme" - and to try and achieve a one mile toss. Spectators come from both locally and nationally to watch, applaud, and check out the impressive pumpkin tossing machines.

If you want to try your hand at "punkin chuckin" - or just visit and have a fun time - come to Morton, Illinois for this unique event: the Pumpkin Chuckin contest!