Punkin Chunkin returns: Small change of gourd, same fun

Out in an open field in Bridgeville, Delaware, Dominick Daffner sent a pumpkin flying from a cannon faster than the speed of sound.

It was a special pumpkin: a super-dense, aerodynamic hybrid species from a farm in New York. And he used a special cannon, too: a huge black and white air tank with a 60-foot aluminum barrel that might resemble a screwdriver, if screwdrivers came in 6-ton models. But the most exceptional thing of all may have been who Dominick Daffner was competing against — his two grandsons, each set up next to him.

Daffner, a long-time Milton, Delaware resident, and his grandsons, Will Schell, 21, and Bryan Miller, 13, dedicate six months out of the year to test and perfect their guard-flying contraptions.

As it turns out, firing small pumpkins across great distances is a family obsession. They've spent nearly 3,000 hours and a small fortune building their machines to destroy the competition. And that includes each other.

"Those boys are going down," said Daffner.

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All three are participating this year at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin competition, an annual three-day event where more than 100 teams vie for a hand-carved, 1,500-pound trophy and absolutely zero prize money.

"Punkin Chunkin is about the bragging rights," he said, of the famed 3-day charity event.

The team to beat is American Chunker, which sent a La Estrella pumpkin flying 4,694.68 feet in 2013. In the 28-year history of Punkin Chunkin, a gourd has never flown farther.

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Brian Larbid, American Chunker team captain, said he isn't giving the title up without a fight.

"I intend on defending it with everything I’ve got," he said.

During Punkin Chunkin's two-year hiatus, officials looked into moving from its longtime Bridgeville home to an area near Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and even considered several Maryland locations.

A personal injury lawsuit filed in 2013 spawned insurance problems — the complaint was filed by an ATV driver seriously injured in a rollover accident, but was later dismissed. In the end, the iconic Delaware event returned to the Wheatley Farms in Bridgeville.

Cora Butler-Russel is glad attention has shifted away from Punkin Chunkin's behind the scenes drama and back onto what's important: pumpkins flying through the air.

She describes the weekend as, "the highlight of Sussex County."

"It's the best weekend of the year," she said. "I couldn't wait to get off work Friday to head down."

Although the competition is back, fully insured and will once again be the subject of a national TV special, it doesn't mean everything is the same as it was.

A resurrected Punkin Chunkin means new alcohol rules, new online ticket sales and a new cable channel in charge of the special.

For the first time, Punkin Chunkin is no longer an unregulated BYOB affair due to new insurance rules and a desire to clean up the sometimes-rowdy three-day event.

READ MORE:After 2-year break, World Championship Punkin Chunkin returns to Delaware

"This is a family fun event, but we still wanted to let the partiers party," said Frank Payton, elected president of World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association earlier this year. "I want to see the legacy that started in Sussex County continue on and the path we were going down would not allow that to continue."

So this year, chunk fans had to do their drinking in designated areas.

For the first time, the festival offered a fully-stocked beer garden, featuring Coors, Coors Light, Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Yuengling, Blue Moon, Goose Island, Michelob Ultra, Shock Top, Dogfish Head, 16 Mile, Mispillion, 3rd Wave, RAR, Old Dominion, Evolution, Blue Earl and Fins' Big Oyster, as well as Franzia wine. Tailgating was only allowed in the designated VIP parking/tailgate areas or at camp sites.

Leslie Thompson was glad of the changes.

"I used to come here in college and it was wild," said Thompson, who thought twice about bringing her children to the event on Saturday. But after seeing how things were different this year, said she would feel comfortable coming back with the kids.

Not everyone was crazy about the, well, lack of craziness. Long-time chunk fan John James misses the way things used to be.

"Man, we used to do keg stands and drink moonshine," he said. "Those were the days."

One thing that hasn't changed: where all of the money is going.

Proceeds from the event will again go to dozens of local charities. Since 2000, Punkin Chunkin has donated $1 million, officials say. The most recent chunk in 2013 raised about $100,000.

For its grand return, Punkin Chunkin has a one-year lease with Wheatley Farms with both sides waiting to see how everything works out.

"We want to show the world that we're back and ready to go," said Payton. "It's going to be one heck of a party."

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