By Associated Press, 10/18/02

ELLETTSVILLE, Ind. — When Jim Bristoe told his wife he wanted to build a cannon that would shoot a pumpkin a mile, she told him he wasn't all there.

But he built one anyway, with a 30-foot-long barrel. It is powered by a 700-gallon air tank and is appropriately named "Ain't All There." It looks much like a mobile anti-aircraft gun.

"You don't need to cover your ears, but you're going to know I shot it," the 42-year-old electrician and mechanic said during a demonstration on Wednesday.

When Bristoe fires the cannon, a 10-pound pumpkin is hit with 11,300 pounds of force. The pumpkin projectile leaves the muzzle at about 900 miles per hour, he said.

During the test, the cannon fired a pumpkin through the rear of a Pontiac.

Bristoe plans to take the 2-ton pumpkin cannon to the first annual Pumpkin Propulsion Contest at Verizon Wireless Music Center near Noblesville on Saturday.

The contest is sponsored by Indianapolis radio station WRZX-FM. It's the brainchild of morning show host Gonzo Greg and his colleagues.

"It's more of an exhibition than a competition, and we don't know what to expect in terms of entries," said Greg. He added that it sounds like Bristoe will probably win.