Don’t you love those times that you can do things with your kids that are just a little bit bad? Not really breaking any rules or laws and certainly not hurting anyone, but also not totally allowed?
That’s how I feel about the Pumpkin Plunkin’.
Conceived of at a dinner party more than 12 years ago, during which a group of grown-up friends without kids decided that there needed to be a little more guerilla fun in Middlebury.
Fast forward to today and the Plunkin’ has turned into my favorite of the many somewhat odd Halloween traditions.
So what IS the Pumpkin Plunkin’?
It’s a pumpkin race.
But it’s not just any pumpkin race. Carefully chosen, svelte and fearless gourds are launched into the Otter Creek in downtown Middlebury around (or off of) the Cross Street Bridge, ready for a courageous journey down river!
They bob and float — rarely as fast as you want — down the creek and dramatically over the falls, cascading into the rapids and hoping to catch the current and ride to the finish line, marked by the pedestrian bridge that connects the Old Stone Mill to the Marble Works Park.
Yes, some smash. Some get stuck in eddies or even on the ledges of the falls if the water level is low. Every year a few just straight disappear; lost to the river or perhaps some trickster otter.
That’s all part of the fun.
This year’s event (which took place this past Friday) mysteriously ballooned in popularity. What was once a few families and a handful of gourds has transformed into a crowd that stretched over the better part of the bridge, casting many dozens of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes into the river below.
Kids in costumes (and their parents) all watched and hooted and hollered over the sides of the bridge before turning to run through town to make sure they beat the pumpkins to the finish line. Cars and bystanders watched in amused confusion, while we insiders smirked at our bootstraps event, proud to be “in the know.”
Pumpkins (full and parts) are plucked from the river by canoe — because after all, we are upstanding citizens, even if the event is unsanctioned. Trophies are awarded for best costume, best decorated pumpkin and the fastest pumpkin over the finish line intact. We debrief over chili and cornbread, shared by the river.
I love the Plunkin’ in part because it’s not about the candy or about the shock and awe of other Halloween activities. It’s about being together in our community, doing something that can only be done here, and finding joy in silliness.
— Christy Lynn is co-publisher of the Addison Independent