Punkin Chunkin Pumpkin Flinging Event Canceled in Delaware

For the second year in a row, Delaware's annual pumpkin flinging contest has been squashed.

Organizers of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin said Thursday that this year's event, scheduled for next month at Dover International Speedway, has been canceled because of problems finding insurance coverage.

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The Punkin Chunkin, in which contestants launch pumpkins with a variety of homemade contraptions, began in Sussex County in 1986. Organizers started looking for another site last year after a Sussex County farmer said he would no longer make his property available. That decision came after a lawsuit was filed by a Punkin Chunkin volunteer who was seriously injured in an ATV accident while working the 2011 event.

Organizers say fans who purchased tickets will have their credit card payments refunded.