Catapults. Exploding Fruits. Iron Maiden. And a Safety Czar. I’ve never been to a place with a czar. Neato. I bet she wears a fancy hat.

You can find all of these things and more at the 5th Annual SlingFest, an event where teams are invited to bring their own trebuchets, catapults, and ballistas to participate in contests of pumpkin-slinging. This year, SlingFest will be held for the first time at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in Plano on November 15th from 11am to 4pm.

SlingFest is hosted by DFW Trebuchet Society, a volunteer organization led by Tommy Falgout, Karl Weis, James Cross, Jarrett Stampes, Matt Weyandt and Scott Simons.

Anyone is welcome to enter their own homemade slinging contraption into SlingFest, provided they can meet the rules and requirements. Apparently one rule is that your trebuchet needs a wacky name, judging by past competitors Hello Trebby, Franken-chet, Iron Maiden, and TARDIS.

The contest categories are Accuracy, Distance, “Funky Fling,” Builder’s Choice and Crowd Favorite. The farthest a fruit has been slung so far is 324 feet.

The rules say you can fling fruit or anything biodegradable (but we don’t suggest humans or livestock) and it needs to explode on impact. If it doesn’t explode, it won’t be cool and people with laugh at you. In the Funky Fling, apparently you can propel anything you’d like. Two past favorites have been a metal ball of spikes called “The Device” and a ceramic chicken.

No actual prizes are awarded except for a recurring Championship Belt that is passed from winner to winner each year. I hear the belt gives you special powers (like hearing in the dark), but that cannot be confirmed at this point.

If you are interested in helping innocent fruit meet its maker, attend DFW Trebuchet’s next planning meeting this Tuesday evening. Details are here.

If you’d just like to witness this spectacle, tickets are $5 when purchased in advance online. On the day of the event, tickets are $10/adult and $5/child. All proceeds benefit TheLab.ms. The Very Individual Pizza food truck will serve pizza at SlingFest.

SlingFest Website

SlingFest on Facebook>

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