Our major sponsors did an amazing job!! We had great press, a wonderful location, and all the pumpkins we needed…
The News Gazette
ABC NewsChannel 15
WDWS/WHMS
The Atkins Group

AND, we can’t forget THAT ORANGE “The Pumpkin-Eater” MTD BUS!!! THANKS, MTD!

The corporations that supported the pumpkins to be hurled and actually made this a fundraiser…
Beckett and Webber
Carpenters Local #44
Christopher’s Fine Jewelry Design
Cozad Asset Management
East Central Illinois Building & Construction Council
EPTCO
Frogs and Fairies, a unique boutique
Kirby Foods, Inc.
Lincolnshire Country Club
Merrill Lynch, Champaign Branch
MTD, The Employees of
Nally, Bauer, Feinen & Mann, P.C.
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 149
Precision Graphics
Shelby Motors
Smith Burgett Architects
Wampler Property Management, LLC
Webber and Thies, P.C.
WIXY, Holstein and Company
Wolfram Research

AND, our Business SPONSORS – most of whom gave us in-kind services that kept us from going into the “hole” on this and added must-have services…
Berns Clancy Engineers
Brown Woods Associates
Champaign Rotary West
Curtis Orchard and Pumpkin Patch, LTD
Herriotts
Kemper Industrial Equipment/Midwest Pottyhouse
Knox-Array Event Production
Martin Hood Friese
Parkinson and Berns
Pepsi-Cola Champaign-Urbana Bottling Co
Reynold’s Towing
Steve Gardner
Tyler Ingram
University Construction
UpClose Printing

AND, we can’t forget our “bribers” and Judges (Senator Mike Frerichs, WICD Matt Brickman and Peter B. Fox)!
And, The Central High Marching Band and Jennifer Curry!
And, last but not lease, our pumpkin decorators!! The pumpkins were unbelievably well-done!!! will put pix up soon.

Its official! Punkin’Chuckin’ is coming to Champaign County on November 1, from 12 noon – 4 pm. Watch Acme Catapult, LLC, World Champions, launch as many as 30 pumpkins 1200 feet and 600 feet in the air. Talk about HANG TIME!!! This is going to be fantastic!

Where you ask? At Pinehurst at the corner of Prospect and Olympian off of I57, in north Champaign. Just go past the Meijer and Walmart. Its the next intersection after Interstate Drive! Rumor has it that there might be an MTD Bus as a target as well as a porta-potty.

Its free to the public. I can still use a couple of major sponsors to help pay for the ACME catapult Company to come, insurance and supplies. AND,we are still looking for Pumpkin Sponsors. Each of our launching pumpkins is “adoptable” and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The most accurate pumpkin will be come the new reigning WORLD CHAMPION – at title surely to be challenged next year. Prizes? you bet – 1st place takes the traveling trophy and a ball cap. The pumpkin launch times will be printed in advance.

Other stuff to do? Yup! We will have a seed-spitting contest, a hand-throwing contest and some vendors for food. There will also be entertainment through-out the afternoon! Check back for MORE INFO TO COME!

New home of the CUSF office

Over the long weekend, staff and volunteers moved our entire office to our new place off of Olympian Drive. Its fantastic! We are delighted to be here and can’t wait to show it off! We are planning an open house for later this year for all to come. In the meantime, c’mon out! I thought it might be a hassle to get here from Urbana, but if you take 74 to 57 to Olympian, it takes 5 minutes from Lincoln and Bradley. Not BAD!!

MANY MANY THANKS to volunteers Steve Gardner, Ron Wilcox, Brenda Wiggins, Tim Bossenbroek and Craig Rost! These 500 pound desks are killers…AND, speaking of which: Many Many Thanks to United Way for the donated desk and to RSM McGladrey for the partitions and counter/file cabinets! We also moved our donated furniture from Clark Lindsey and the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission! WHEW! its all sorted and put away and we are ready for business.

This past weekend we went to Allentown Illinois to observe a demonstration of the ACME Catapult catapult lob iceballs 2000 feet into the fields (yes, about 7 football fields…)  This was AMAZING!  CUSF is bringing ACME to CU this fall for a demonstration and fundraiser for our organization.  More info to come on this!  Punkin’Chuckin’ CU 2009.  In the meantime, check out this link…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYsBmN9ETRE

Many thanks to Steve Gardner, Zach Wetherell, and Craig Rost for making the trip along with Gail and Pat! Pat took pics and video of this exhibition so I hope to get something up soon!

The event will be on April 30, 2010.  We are just forming the committee to get it rolling, but we need your NOMINATIONS!  Champaign Urbana HS Alums!  Send them in!  The new form is on our site at:

https://cuschoolsfoundation.org/assets/documents/Distinguished%20Alumni%20Awards%20Nomination%20Form%202009-1.pdf

Our Goal is to PACK the HOUSE this year – again!  For the last 2 years, we have sold this event out.  We have graduates from all of our high schools there, we bring in kids from all three high schools, we have our distinguished alums of course, we have community leaders, grandparents, musicians, district folks…

It is a REAL Celebration of accomplishment and acknowledgment of what we can do as a community when we put our mind to it!

This event is the day BEFORE the Illinois Marathon.  Our town is going to be alive with visitors.  Lets show ‘em proud!

Craig Rost at the Urbana Farmers Market

We got out there even with the rain!  We sold quite a few of our REUSABLE Grocery Bags!

Our Choose to ReUse Program raises money for a “Green Grant” for our Schools!  Any Jerry’s IGA will give us a nickel for any bag you reuse – doesn’t have to be ours…can even be paper!

OKAY  HERE are the pictures!  Now you have to let me know who is who from the list that I took the other day!  Tag yourself!

Thanks to those of you who met us at #62 at the Freedom Celebration Parade!   We were definitely a little soggy and weren’t that disappointed they called the parade.  Our bunting was looking wilted and flags a bit forlorn…

NEXT YEAR!