The Alluring Thrill of a Pumpkin Cannon: The Last Word

I was always assigned serious news stories for most of my career. That's why I love doing The Last Word.  Fun stories that I could not do back then, I can certainly do now.  That love of doing fun stories now brings me to Peek'n Peak Resort in Clymer, New York.

I’m here to see a pumpkin cannon. You load it up with a pumpkin. Sound off a warning horn. Turn a key and BOOM!  A pumpkin is launched onto a hillside at the blink of an eye. A pumpkin cannon has been a featured attraction at Peek'n Peak's annual Fall Fest for the past 13 years. It's a story I’ve always wanted to do. I'm fascinated by this thing.

Ray Bliley and Seth Eliason built this giant cannon. This is the second one they have brought to the Fall Fest. It's much more powerful than the first.

"This has two 1,000 gallon propane tanks. So, 2,000 gallons of air that comes out of it when it shoots,” declares Ray.

Ray and Seth do not keep the fun all to themselves. They let any Fall Fest visitor shoot off the cannon free of charge. The looks on the faces of children who take their turn are priceless. Each child is hoping they would be the one to get a direct hit on a Smiley Face target placed on the hillside.  A throng of adults is watching from a distance.  They can't look away.  I bet, deep down, they want to get in line with the kids. How can they resist this?  Tim Frawley can't. He took his shot.

"It's amazing,” says Tim. “The noise and the pressure and the power. It's just fun to shoot up there. I don't know if they've hit the target yet but we'll be back to watch.”

Ray and Seth say the Peek'n Peak Fall Fest is the only place they take the pumpkin cannon to share with the public. They will bring it back next year. Until then, they will take it home to Greenfield Township, load it with a bowling ball, and aim at junk cars. I'm surprised. They say not everyone loves the cannon.

"It will shoot a bowling ball three quarters of a mile,” says Ray. “The neighbors don't like it."

Ray and Seth built their first pumpkin cannon while they were in high school. The current cannon does not have a name. They just call it "The Pumpkin Cannon."