Hundreds gather in Lake George to chuck election anxiety and rotting jack-o’-lanterns

Crowds lined up yesterday outside the Adirondack Pub & Brewery on Canada Street for the chance to send their Halloween pumpkins flying into a field of targets at the Brewery’s Pumpkin Chunkin event. “It’s perfect for November,” says Brewery owner John Carr, “everyone has pumpkins now.” November is historically a quiet month for Lake George businesses, but the throng that overtook the Brewery lot yesterday afternoon seemed to indicate there is a demand for events during a time once considered “off-season.”

The Brewery set up a row of launching devices, giant slingshots and trebuchets, which faced a field of targets carrying the images of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Interspersed with the presidential candidate targets were animal cartoon images for children.

It was a festival atmosphere with a DJ blasting music and Brewery employees serving up $4-dollar drafts from the Brewery beer wagon. The Brewery food truck featured a special Pumpkin Chunkin menu that included tacos, beer brats and pumpkin pie chicken wings. Children maneuvered their way through a maze of beer kegs and people warmed themselves by bonfires while cheering the distinctive splat sound of pumpkins hitting targets.

A group of young boys stood on the sidelines making their partisan views known as pumpkin guts slide down the face of the Democrat’s nominee and added additional orange coloring to the Republican candidate’s skin tone. Electrician and Navy veteran Donald Seebald was assisting with the pumpkin launches. He paused in his work to remind the zealous boys, “It’s all just fun and games — it’s just political satire.”

“I wasn’t sure if anyone would show up,” says Carr, but he proceeded with plans for the event figuring that at least he would have fun launching pumpkins. The size of the crowd that did arrive encouraged Carr to declare this an annual event and planning for 2017 has begun. “I have a guy coming with a canon next year,” says Carr. He plans to add bounce houses and games for the kids. Adirondack Winery and Lake George Distilling Company are interested participating in future Pumpkin Chunkin events, says Carr.

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