BLOOMINGTON - There were plenty of fall activities Saturday for children and adults at the Harvest Festival, but the pumpkin chucking drew the loudest response from kids like 6-year-old Nick Lehr of Bloomington. | Video

"He heard that they were throwing pumpkins, and he was all about that," said his mom, Amy, as Nick and the rest of the family waited for the Illinois State University Physics Club to launch its trebuchet for the first time.

Lehr and his 2-year-old sister, Becca, already had eaten popcorn, petted animals in the petting zoo, painted pumpkins and made their way through a hay maze, where Lehr got lost "the first time."

But the crowd counted down and screamed as the physics club chucked its pumpkin high into the air. It traveled about 700 feet before crashing into an open field and splattering.

"It blew up! Do it again!" Lehr shouted several times before Physics Club member Katie Ericsson said the next launch would be in 30 minutes.

Ericsson said the trebuchet helps teach children the principles of physics. It did just that, and Nick described to his mom how he could build a similar machine at home using "metal, nails, glue, and weights."

Saturday's launch also was the first for Ericsson, a freshman who excitedly described the launch as "unbelievable."

ISU's trebuchet won first place at a Morton competition last year with a toss of 929 feet, said R.J. Linton, ISU Physics Club president. This year's competition is in two weeks, and club members hope to top that distance.

Refinements have been made since last year, including a new triggering system.

After the first launch Saturday, Jim Dunham, a model maker for the ISU physics department, suggested club members add weight to lower the trajectory and make the pumpkin travel farther, rather than higher. He warned the machine was "a little temperamental" and doesn't always respond as expected.

Watchers of the second launch saw the pumpkin sail high into the air, almost out of sight. Club members adjusted a pin for another try, adjusting the position to achieve a greater distance.

The physics didn't matter much to 7-year-old Taye Anderson of Bloomington. As he waited in line to get an "alien saber" balloon creation, Anderson said the pumpkin catapult was the highlight of his day.

The annual festival is co-sponsored by the Interstate Center, 2301 W. Market St., and The Pantagraph.