First Annual Last Fling Pumpkin Sling Offers Competition and Fun For All

Mark your calendar for the 1st annual Last Fling Pumpkin Sling to be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 30 & 31, 2010. The host for the event is Hensler Farms, located in White Township, New Jersey, just outside of Belvidere on County Road 519. Competing groups will try to sling a 2-3 pound pumpkin the furthest distance possible, with a catapult or trebuchet. The slinging begins each day at 12:00 noon. A variety of youth and adult groups have signed up to compete, including the Warren County 4-H Teen Council and church youth groups. Several teams will be representing the local Junior High, White Township Consolidated School. Other teams are from as far away as Mount Olive, New Jersey. Adult teams include the Mansfield Lodge #36, F&AM and Team Hensler.

The event opens at 10:00 am with food, craft and non-profit vendors, hayrides and an October Vistas Tour. The Pumpkin Patch children’s activity area will open at 11:00 am, with lots of fun activities for children. Activities include face painting and painting pumpkins, making scarecrows, spiders or a seed mosaic. Your child may also register in the pumpkin toss contest and see how far they can sail a pumpkin through the air using muscle. There will also be an adult competition scheduled for later in the day.

For those that enjoy baking there are three classes each day for adults and one for youth. On Saturday the adult categories include pumpkin pie, plain apple pie with crumb topping and an open category for your favorite pumpkin recipe; youth category is pumpkin cookies. On Sunday adult categories include pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins and apple cake; youth category is pumpkin muffins.
Pre-registration is required. Rules and registration forms with details may be obtained on the websites, www.pumpkinsling.com or www.henslerfarm.com, or pick one up at Hensler Farms. Organizers of the Pumpkin Sling would like to thank The American Legion Carl D. Archer Post 528 of White Township, for coordinating the baking contest.

If baking or building is not your talent, take a stab at carving a pumpkin. Download rules from the website or pick up a registration form at the farm.

During your visit, hop on the bus and enjoy an October Vistas Tour. The bus tour is free and will take visitors on a tour through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Warren County. See some of the nearby NJ Audubon Skylands Birding and Wildlife Trails, Merrill Creek, and some historical sites along the way. On Saturday, life long resident of Warren County, Terry Lee, will be guiding the morning tours. Terry served 6 terms as Warren County Clerk and is involved in many associations and projects in our county. He is an active member in the Historic Preservation Commission of Harmony Township and the Harmony Township Historical Society, on the board of directors and charter member of Rolling Thunder, and vice president of the Warren County War Memorial Corp., to name a few.

There will also be bus tours and hayrides to the top of the hill at Wyckoff’s Christmas Tree Farm. Learn about the different kinds of Christmas Trees, and history of this 8-generation tree farm. The tree farm is located just one mile south of Hensler Farms on County Road 519. Hayrides will be offered all day, beginning at 9 am, if you would like to drive directly to the tree farm.

From 11:00 am to 12:00 spectators can “meet the teams.” One of the goals of this event was to get kids excited about something that otherwise would not have been of interest. The project can include physics, mathematics, team building, industrial arts, safety and other learning opportunities. Emcee “Brady The Class Clown” will interview some of the youth groups that will be competing.

Brady The Class Clown will entertain the crowd with a circus show at 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm. The event ends each day, weather permitting, with an appearance by “Airhead Invader,” the special shape monster hot air balloon.

Pumpkin Sling host, Hensler Farms (formerly Crossroad Farms), is one of the most picturesque farms in Warren County. No matter the season the farm stand is always stocked with in season fruits and vegetables, and appropriately decorated. Regular customers at Hensler Farms may shop at the farm market from the usual hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The regular parking spaces will be kept available for 10 minute parking for those just coming in to pick up there fruits, vegetables, baked goods, gift items and gourmet products. Onsite parking for spectators is free with their admission of $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12. Children ages 4 and under are free.

Organizers would like to caution potential spectators and participants that as in attending a sporting event like baseball or hockey, there is an inherent risk in entering the spectator field and nearby area. While safety is the first concern and precautions are being taken, spectators should be aware of occasional stray flying pumpkins.

Supporters of the event include the NJ Division of Travel and Tourism (www.visitnj.org) and the Highlands Coalition. Take a ride out to the country and end the harvest season with the fling that features a sling. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.pumpkinsling.com.

Contact Information

Giulia Iannitelli

Marketing

Highlands Tourism Partnership

Contact via E-mail