The annual event has now been shut down because of issues in finding an affordable policy.
The annual pumpkin flinging contest in Delaware has now been cancelled for the second year in a row because the organizers of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin said that they were unable to find insurance coverage.
The event had been scheduled to take place at the Dover International Speedway in November.
The insurance coverage issue is not the first to cancel the event, as it cancelled the Punkin Chunkin last year, as well. Before that, it was held annually and it allowed contestants to use a range of different homemade contraptions of varying designs to launch pumpkins. The event first took place in 1986 in Sussex County. Organizers have now started to try to find a new location in which to hold the competition, as the Sussex County farmer whose land had previously been used had decided not to offer his property for that purpose any longer.
The decision made by the farmer was a direct result of the circumstance that has led to the insurance coverage struggles.
In 2011, a volunteer at the Punkin Chunkin contest was seriously injured when he was involved in an ATV crash. That disaster led to a lawsuit which caused the farmer to want to withdraw from future risk of liabilities due to potential accidents that could occur on his property.
According to the organizers behind the event, the people who have already purchased their tickets to participate will receive a full refund on their credit cards. They explained that “Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our Board throughout an exhaustive, nation-wide search, we have been unable to locate a willing insurer to adequately protect our host venue, our organization, our fans and our spectators.”
It is unclear as to whether or not the insurance coverage problems will stop the organizers from trying to launch this event again in the future. There has yet to be any statement made to explain whether the organizers will be choosing to withdraw from their efforts to recreate it, or if they will try again next year.