Saline Wins Award for its Pumpkin Launcher

Every town should have a pumpkin launcher.

So says Director Carla Scruggs. And who are we to argue? Her department has a Michigan Parks and Recreation Association Award to bolster her case.

On Feb. 8, the Michigan parks group gave its 2011 Innovative Park Resource Award to the Saline Parks and Recreation Department for its pumpkin launcher.

The device was the brainchild of Saline Recreation Supervisor Sunshine Lambert and handiwork of employee Bryan Corfman.

The duo was charged to use their creative nature and handy skills to design a device that would launch pumpkins into the dumpster during the Great Pumpkin Roll at .

The launcher was fabricated from recycled materials lying around the DPW yard.

“The ingenious design allows pumpkins to be launched over 100 feet,” said Scruggs.

Every year, at the Great Pumpkin Roll, kids and adults take turns launching pumpkins into the dumpster.

It was only a matter of time before the inventive citizens of Saline found another use for the contraption. This summer, the launcher was used for a community art project called “Splash Like Pollack.” The event, held at , was a collaboration between Parks and Recreation Department and the .

“Kids were given paint-filled balloons that were launched at a large blank canvas to create a masterful piece of artwork,” Scruggs said.

In January the launcher made its winter debut at the Saline Winterfest, where kids used the launcher to shoot tennis balls and snowballs into buckets.

“Who knows what the launcher will be up to in spring?” Scruggs asked.

Scruggs presented the award to Lambert and Corfman at Monday’s Council meeting.

"We feel that every community should have a pumpkin launcher," Scruggs said. "Programming possibilities are endless!"