Pumpkin Tossing for 20 Years and counting
2003 Catapult
Back in early 2003, a friend who worked for the Town of South Kingston’s Parks and Recreation Department had a strange request: Can you throw pumpkins using a catapult? Being in my early 30’s and messing with tools and old buildings for over 10 years, there was a level of ill backed confidence making be respond an immediate “yes”.
The first machine was a spring loaded catapult built using garage springs, 6x6 pressure treated, lots of bolts and a salad bowl to hold the pumpkin. That machine valiantly lasted 2 seasons at Curtis Corner Road School, finally vibrating apart.
The 3rd season became serious. After several months of research and design, we came up with a trebuchet design that could be dismantled and reassembled wherever we went. At some point, we were tossing pumpkins, water melons, and bowling balls at 4-5 events per year. My wife called herself the Trebuchet widow…
The 2005 trebuchet using a boat anchor for a counter weight
In 2008, that trebuchet was replaced with a newer trebuchet design that didn’t need to be dismantled and can travel on demand. The “Black Night” was built using traditional mortise and tenon construction from large white oak timbers, and the steel basket fabricated by an emerging group of metal workers at this place called the Steel Yard in Providence. The trebuchet continued performing over the next decade, where we see saw young kids come back as adults, saying they always looked forward to coming to an annual throw.
Rob Cagnetta and his Trebuchet
Sydney, the budding trebuchet expert
After about 17 years on the road, we decided the Trebuchet needed a permanent home. The Farmer’s Daughter had become the annual destination for the event around 2017, usually held after Halloween. 2020 and 2021 were off years, but we are thrilled to have it back again.
So please come join us on Saturday October 29, 2022 from 11-3PM, or if you missed this year, look for the event happening near the end of October at the Farmer’s Daughter!
