Ready for blast off

Look, up in the sky. Is it a bird? A plane?
Nope, it’s a pumpkin
The second annual Lake Orion Pumpkin Launch kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday, and organizers say they’re confident last year’s winning pumpkin launch distance of 385 feet could be nearly doubled.
‘We’re looking at 700 feet plus,? said organizer Mike Toth, who lives in Lake Orion, serves on the village council, participates in a number of other community events and has developed a penchant for designing and constructing mid-evil launching devices. ‘We’ve built a much bigger trebuchet this year.?
Toth said he originally learned about trebuchets’and their use for launching pumpkins’on television.
Impressed with the simplicity of the design, he decided to build his own machine.
But a guy has to have standards when it comes to these things.
‘I was thinking ‘how can I justify it?? That’s when I got the idea to have a competition.?
Like the program he saw on television, the launch was inspired by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA) in Delaware, which blazed a trail for today’s recreational pumpkin launchers.
For the event, teams build trebuchets, catapult-like devices used during the Middle Ages, which stand anywhere from 20 inches to 30 feet tall.
So far, five teams are registered to participate in Saturday’s event. While it’s more than last year, Toth noted, the more the merrier.
‘People can bring their trebuchets and sign up that morning,? he said.
Spectators are also welcome.
‘Kids love it,? said Toth, a physical education teacher Kingsbury School in Oxford. ‘They think it’s the coolest thing.?
And, he pointed out, an interesting way to explore science and engineering.
Toth and his team will debut their new ‘bigger, better? machine at Saturday’s event. And when they’re finished, they’re heading for the big time: a trip to the World Championship Punkin Chunkin in Delaware.