Punkin’ Chunkin’ Festival

Watch pumpkins soar into the St. Lawrence River at the 14th Annual Punkin’ Chunkin’ Festival! Teams haul home-built trebuchets, catapults, and air cannons into Frink Park to see whose pumpkin flies farthest into the river — competitive launches routinely sail 1,000 to 1,600+ feet. Now in its 14th year, the festival pulls thousands of spectators into a village of about 1,900.

The youth division (11am) features student-built trebuchets testing real physics; the adult division (1pm) brings the heavy wooden machines and modern air cannons. Around the launches: a town-wide BBQ (11am till gone) and BBQ contest tasting (2–3pm), food vendors, and a farmers’ market along Riverside Drive (10am–4pm). Rain or shine, and admission is free.

Making a day of it? Clayton’s an easy add to our day-trips guide.