RAPID CITY, SD – Students from South Dakota Mines will use their engineering skills to hurl pumpkins across Memorial Park this Saturday. The pumpkin catapult competition, part of the Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival, beginning at 11 a.m. in Rapid City.
The annual event features student-built trebuchets, which are gravity-powered catapults. Teams from South Dakota Mines and local high schools will compete for cash prizes donated by RESPEC, an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Rapid City.
The competition includes three rounds of launches, with the first round at 11 a.m., the second at 1 p.m., and the final round at 3 p.m. Teams are judged on both distance and accuracy, with the goal of hitting marks at 100, 200, and 250 feet.
According to Darcy Briggs, associate vice president for academic affairs at South Dakota Mines, the event is a way to showcase engineering and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Briggs said it also allows the university to connect with the local community in the Black Hills.
The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival is expected to draw thousands of spectators to downtown Rapid City. The full schedule of events for the festival is available online.