The Elon University Physics Club is hosting its third annual “Great Pumpkin Smash” on Sunday, Nov. 8, as a fundraiser for the Loaves & Fishes Christian Food Ministry in Burlington. Originally scheduled for Nov. 1, organizers had postponed the event due to rain.

The public is invited to bring old pumpkins to campus and, combined with a $1 donation or a non-perishable food item, watch as students launch the gourds using a handmade trebuchet, a catapult-like device often used in medieval warfare.

Date: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Location: Harden Clubhouse on south campus at Elon University
Directions: Take South Williamson Avenue into Elon and make a right onto Haggard Avenue. Follow Haggard to its intersection with N. Oak Avenue and make a right. Immediately after crossing the railroad tracks, make a right onto East Trollinger Avenue, and proceed to S. Antioch Avenue, which turns into the south campus area immediately before a work zone that has closed the remainder of the road.

The event is located down South Antioch Avenue.

The pumpkins will land in a compost heap on part of campus. Organizers said the pumpkin toss is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of old jack-o’-lanterns that would otherwise be dumped in landfills. Loaves & Fishes is a nonprofit group that serves residents of Alamance County.

For more information:
Associate professor Martin Kamela, (336) 278-6266 or mkamela@elon.edu