On Nov. 24, when the Science Channel fills the cable TV sphere with hours of coverage from the 2011 Punkin Chunkin World Championships, I am going to make some popcorn, pour up a cool soda and prop my behind in front of the big screen to marvel at what man can accomplish with a bar napkin, a little imagination and, of course, a bar.
The actual contest was contested on Nov. 6 in rural Bridgeville, Del., a stone’s throw from, well, the rest of Delaware, but the universal focal point for those who love seeing pumpkins fly. The tiny town has hoisted 26 of these events, and this year’s Chunkin drew record crowds. We have no idea who won (due to TV ratings and all), but we do know there was one major tire connection.
Ray Tolson is owner of Second Amendment Too, an air-powered chucker – basically a very large cannon – that competed this year. His 30,000-pound air cannon ("It’s all highway legal. Barely, but legal.) chunked a punkin an estimated 4,329 feet (if you’re wondering, a mile is 5,280 feet). That marathon shot was good enough for second place.
As you could tell by the name, this is Tolson’s second Second Amendment cannon. The first Second Amendment took several first and second place wins. He split off to build his dream produce blaster.
So what’s the tire connection? Well, in real life Tolson is the senior national service engineer for Kaeser Compressors, and he uses a Kaeser Mobilair M122 portable compressor (with a reciprocating booster compressor) to power his Punkin Chunkin pumpkin cannon.
Think about that the next time you’re airing up someone’s tires!
