LAKEPORT, Calif. — On the first Saturday in November, Lake County Farm Bureau launched a new event to raise funds for Lake County Farm Bureau’s scholarship program.
The inaugural Punkin Chunkin Festival at Wildhurst Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze offered an afternoon of family fun with the first official Punkin Chunkin, vendors, and the last opportunity to enjoy the 2022 Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze.
The event raised $4,475 for the scholarship fund.
Students from Kelseyville FFA designed and built a trebuchet to launch the pumpkins. After some on the spot repairs and practice launches, the team was rewarded with a pumpkin that flew more than 300 feet across the pumpkin field.
Kelseyville FFA will have their name etched on the FFA Division Punkin Chunkin Championship trophy that will be displayed in the LCFB office.
Daniel Suenram, vice president on the Lake County Farm Bureau Board, was the idea person for this event.
He and LCFB Executive Director Rebecca Harper led the planning team for the Punkin Chunkin. They were both still glowing from the success more than a week later.
“I would like to thank all from the community who came out to see and support the inaugural event. I would especially like to thank the Hats for so graciously welcoming this event to their wonderful facility,” Suenram said.
Vendors at the event added to the fun. The Noodle Bowl and Zero Dark Thirty Espresso were on hand to offer food options. The Scotts Valley 4H sold Loaded Baked Potatoes. LCFB offered homemade pumpkin pies for sale and Countywide C&L 4H hosted a petting zoo.
After the success with the first one, Harper said, “Next year we plan to have multiple divisions and expand this event drastically. Be on the lookout for more details to come! We hope to see more FFA chapters compete as well as other businesses and independent groups from around the lake. Agricultural mechanics is an integral component to the success of the agriculture industry. LCFB continues a long standing tradition of bringing visibility and providing scholarships to young people pursuing careers in agriculture.”
The event would not have been possible with the generous support of Michael and Tanya Hat, That Ranch at Wildhurst Vineyards. Other sponsors that supported the event included Calpine at the Geysers with a donation of hard hats and $1,500 and Rainbow Ag donating $25 gift cards for individual awards to members of the winning team and a $100 gift card for the winning team.
Lake County Farm Bureau represents nearly 500 farmers, ranchers, and ag-based companies in Lake County. Working to protect and promote agriculture, LCFB advocates on issues relating to farming, ranching, and the rural lifestyle, and collaborates closely with elected officials, government agencies, and other organizations to solve problems facing the agriculture industry.
For more information, contact Farm Bureau at 707 263-0911. Follow Lake County Farm Bureau on Facebook or visit our website at https://www.lakecofb.com/.
