The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick Falls

Pumpkins Catapulted In Hoosick Falls

By

The catapult named Wilson lets go with a pumpkin. The Iron Horse Team, captained by Pat Bakaitism, won first place in the Punkin Chukin contest at the Pumpkinpalooza on Saturday. (Bea Peterson photo)
The catapult named Wilson lets go with a pumpkin. The Iron Horse Team, captained by Pat Bakaitism, won first place in the Punkin Chukin contest at the Pumpkinpalooza on Saturday. (Bea Peterson photo)

Pumpkinpalooza
by Bea Peterson
History websites state that catapults were originated in China around the third and fourth century BC. The first catapults were much like a big crossbow. They stood around 8 feet tall. What turned them into the design seen most often in books is the swinging arm mounted on a pivot. The crossbow string itself is not used to fire the projectile, it is used to move the arm which holds the projectile. Greeks and Romans used them. Almost every movie dealing with the middle ages shows them. Gunpowder and artillery made these humongous weapons obsolete… until now.
[Read more…] about Pumpkins Catapulted In Hoosick Falls

Little Cat Feat

By

H-Repair3
A section of Church Street in Hoosick Falls was closed all day and evening Tuesday as Village and Town crews worked to replace a plugged sewer line and install a new manhole. It was a good workout for the wheel excavator the Town of Hoosick is trying out. Among its attributes the CAT M316D offers low fuel consumption and low noise and vibration. It weighs about 38,000 pounds, which is half the size of the Gradall it would replace. It is a 2008 used machine that will cost less than $150,000. A new Gradall would cost $250,000. Town Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said “It’s a powerful machine. It’s a different way of doing what we’ve always done, and we can save $100,000. (Bea Peterson photo)