Pumpkin drop at N.Y. museum draws smashing crowd

[December 01, 2008]  GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) -- What is the sound that a falling pumpkin makes when it hits the ground?

Hundreds of people know the answer on Long Island. They paid $9 admission for a "smashing pumpkins" event at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, N.Y.

The crowd cheered Friday as several hundred overripe pumpkins were dropped from a second-story balcony to burst and splatter in a moist explosion of seeds and pulp.

The largest weighed several hundred pounds.

Eleven-year-old Brian Scala said it was "really cool."

The pumpkins were donated by a local nursery and will be reused as compost.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com/

[Associated Press]

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