No 2017 World Championship of Punkin Chunkin
Posted Aug 27, 2017 by Matt | Tags: WCPC, launches, news, NASAW
Those that follow us on Facebook likely already saw the news. Owing to a lawsuit recently filed due to the accident at last year's chunk, the landowner that the World Championships of Punkin Chunkin are held on has requested the event to not be held on his property this year. The Association published the following statement on the Punkin Chunkin website:
"THE 2017 EVENT IS CANCELLED
Our non-profit, the World Punkin Chunkin Association, a 100% volunteer based group, has recently come under litigation regarding the incident where Ms. Suzanne Dakessian, a Sharp Entertainment’s employee, was involved in an unfortunate accident at our 2016 event. The pending lawsuit lists our non-profit and its officers as Defendants.
The landowners who graciously donate the use of their property each year for our non-profit endeavors are also listed as Defendants. They are reluctant to host our 2017 event in light of the lawsuit.
With less than 74 days until our event, we are left with no options. It is with our deepest regrets that we announce that 2017 Punkin Chunkin is canceled and with it, the economic impact that Delaware receives, the funds that we generate to help fund other non-profits and the scholarships for deserving youth. Refunds will be issued within the week.
It is unfortunate that Suzanne Dakessian was injured, and we continue to extend our best wishes to her, her family and her loved ones. We have no further comment at this time."
Our team is currently evaluating team schedules and logistics to see what other North East event we may be able to attend for 2017. The likely candidates at this time are either the NH Extreme Chunk or the Dayton (OH) Punkin Chunk. We will update both here and on our Facebook Page when we know what, if any, events outside of our upcoming Wickham Farms demo we will be attending in 2017. In the meantime, check out an ever-updating list of chunks occurring around the United States in 2017. Check out one near you, and if you are aware of one that is not on the list, let us know or post a reply on the forum thread!
