Gourd riddance: Knights carry out king of all pumpkin smashes at Medieval Times
A small group of hearty and honorable men gathered late Friday morning to smash things for a good cause.
Knights from Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament - wielding swords, flails, axes and other 14th century weaponry - ransacked their way through piles of donated pumpkins outside the Schaumburg castle.
Beyond the pure exhilaration of messy mayhem, the seasonal combat exercises serves a higher purpose: Every past-its-peak pumpkin donated by Medieval Times fans translated into a free Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament ticket for Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
The yearly event did not take place last year because of the pandemic.
National Pumpkin Destruction Day is historically celebrated on the first Saturday following Halloween.
Sir Corey smashes a pumpkin with a mace Friday as he is surrounded by fellow Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament knights who also destroyed donated pumpkins outside the Schaumburg castle. Every pumpkin donated to the event resulted in a free ticket to a show for Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Sir Corey spikes a pumpkin as Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament knights smash donated pumpkins Friday in Schaumburg.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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