As if being the nexus of the pumpkin universe
weren’t awesome enough, Morton, Ill., is also home of the
Aludium Q36 Pumpkin Modulator (essentially an enormous pumpkin
cannon), a machine with no utilitarian value but really cool
nonetheless.
Designed by Matt Parker, vice president of
Morton-based Parker Fabrications Inc., and a few of his buddies,
the Q36 weighs 20 tons, has a barrel 80 feet long and 10 inches in
diameter, and can send pumpkins distances exceeding 4,000 feet.
Morton, which processes and cans 85 percent
of America’s pumpkin crop at its Nestle SA-owned
Libby’s plant, bills itself as the pumpkin capital of the
world.
However, seizing on the rising popularity of
the sport of pumpkin chucking, the little town of Lewes, Del., laid
claim to the title of home of the World Series of Punkin
Chuckin’.
Determined to preserve their town’s
pumpkin legacy, Morton officials dispatched Parker’s crew to
show Delaware, and the world, just what the Q36 could do. In 1998,
charged with a portable air compressor, the Q36 slung one pumpkin a
record 4,449 feet.
Even outside Morton, perhaps no other member
of the squash family is more celebrated than the pumpkin:
It’s been the stuff of which legends are made —from
“Cinderella” to the first Thanksgiving feast.
It is fitting, then, that Illinois, home of
the Q36 and the nation’s top harvester of the
cucumber’s globular cousin, er, throws the greatest pumpkin
parties on the planet.
Just about every town has a pumpkin patch or
jack-o’-lantern-carving contest, but other noteworthy events
this fall for lovers of the orange fruit around the state are
scheduled.
The Great Pumpkin Patch(Sept. 9-Oct. 31)
Arthur
New additions to this year’s pumpkin
patch at Bruce and Mary Beth Condill’s farm in the heart of
Illinois Amish country include a children’s garden, bird
display, and bigger picnic and garden areas. Old favorites include
more than 700 pumpkin varieties, pumpkin ice cream, farm animals,
concessions, and a gift shop. For more information, call
217-543-2394.
Pumpkin Festival (Sept.
14-17)
Punkin Chuckin’ Contest
(Oct. 22 and 23)
Morton
The celebration kicks off the pumpkin canning
season with a parade, followed by carnival rides,
entertainment, and a craft fair. Aside from the famous butterflied pork
chops, the cuisine features all foods pumpkin: pancakes, ice cream,
and, of course, pie. This year’s theme is “Great Pumpkins
in History.” Contestants build their own pumpkin-ejecting
contraptions and compete for youth and adult prizes at the annual
Punkin Chuckin’ contest. Fairgoers will also get a rare glimpse
of the Q36 in action. For more information, call 888-765-6588 or visit
www.pumpkincapital.com.
Didier Farms Pumpkinfest (Sept. 24-Oct. 31)
Prairie View
The city of Prairie View paints the town
orange with this pumpkin party, open seven days a week, which
features “Scarecrow Alley,” Indian teepees, an
educational farming display, a pig bin, baby chicks, hayrides, pony
rides, pumpkin-picking, and a 5-acre corn maze. For more
information, call 847-634-3291 or visit www.didierfarms.com.
Chicagoween (Oct.
14-31)
Chicago
Daley Plaza will be transformed into Pumpkin
Plaza — presumably with the help of a fairy godmother — where worshipers of the orange gourds may decorate pumpkins, listen
to storytellers, trick-or-treat, and win prizes at the costume
parade down State Street. For more information, call 312-744-3315
or go to www.cityofchicago.org.
44th Annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival (Oct. 26-30)
Sycamore
The Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In is just one of the
highlights of this festival, held on the grounds of the DeKalb
County Courthouse. A parade, craft show, pumpkin-pie-eating
contest, and the annual 10,000-meter road race. Admission tops out
at $5. The Quigley Farms pumpkin patch opens in late September. For
more information, call 815-895-5161 or consult
www.sycamorepumpkinfestival.com.
This article appears in Sep 1-7, 2005.
