Pumpkin cannon used in Extreme Home Makeover

During the Hunsader Pumpkin Festival this past October, the Hunsader family's pumpkin cannon was one of the prime attractions along with the Wallenda high-wire artists.

Every hour on the hour, the big gun would shoot pumpkins across a few acres of East Manatee.

Today, the pumpkin cannon was used to help demolish a house in Middleburg near Jacksonville for ABC's Extreme Home Makeover program.

Instead of pumpkins, however, the cannon fired frozen volleyballs. Logical, because the home belongs to a high school coach.

David and Kim Hunsader who took the cannon up on a semi-tractor are bringing the tractor home this afternoon.

The little journey is nothing for the Hunsaders. Mike and Tricia Hunsader and some of their children just returned from Cambodia two weeks ago.

The Extreme Home Makeover program is scheduled to air for Mother's Day in May.

Provided photo
The Hunsader pumpkin cannon fired frozen volleyballs near Jacksonville on Thursday.



 Jim

The clouds parted for Rock Around the Clock

I didn't like the look of those dark clouds and the rain pouring down from them as I drove out to Lakewood Ranch this afternoon for the Rock Around the Clock tailgating event at the Sarasota Polo Club.

But as I neared the polo grounds, the sun peaked out and the rain abated. Maybe the show would go on afterall.

And it did, although as a precaution I hauled an umbrella with me, along with a digital camera, my notebook and a HD video camera and tripod. As it turned out, I didn't need the umbrella, or apparently the video camera. I didn't get enough video to be worth posting at bradenton.com.

But I did gets lots of stills, which you can see right now in a gallery at bradenton.com. Just follow this link:

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/01/02/2845231/photo-gallery-rock-around-the.html#http://media.bradenton.com/smedia/2011/01/02/16/0103_brlo_tailgate02.standalone.prod_affiliate.69.jpg

And I got a story with folks sharing their memories of a fabled decade which seems so far away, yet so near in some respects. The story will be in Monday's Herald.

Although this picture doesn't really say Rock Around the Clock, it does says something pensive and comfortable about Paula Domino and Melo the chocolate Lab as they  shared a space along the sidelines of Sarasota Polo Club.

Jim