Z-Rock’s 23rd annual Pumpkinhead

Danielle Kessler // October 23, 2019 // 78 Views

There were a balanced number of females and males that participated in the competition. Photo credit: Melissa Herrera

106.7 FM Z-Rock put on their 23rd annual Pumpkinhead contest and it was ridiculous in the best way possible. The contest, which was hosted by Carl’s Jr, showcased the spirit of fall and the tradition that the radio show has kept going for so long.

Pumpkinhead, which is an endurance contest to see who can stand on a milk crate the longest, is an event that started as a silly idea and ended up being a major fall tradition for the Chico community.

Paul Boris, a DJ at Z-Rock and a coordinator of Pumpkinhead explained the origin behind the contest.

Stand Off Competition — Contestants stood on crates during the competition and the one that lasts the longest will win the cash prize. Photo credit: Melissa Herrera

“23 years ago our radio station 106.7 Z-Rock thought it would be really fun to get a bunch of people, put ‘em on milk crates with pumpkins on their heads and see how long they could stand,” Boris said. “Basically all these people are competing to see who can stay the longest, and the last person standing wins $1,000.”

Superman Costume — Josue Palomar is notorious for wearing his Superman costume every year, but this time his fall was due to the Superman pose challenge. Photo credit: Melissa Herrera

In response to the 23-year-old question, “Why?” Boris had this to say.

“Really the only answer is a $1,000 grand prize, plus you get some pretty good bragging rights for the next year.”

Main Event — The main event took place in the Carl's Jr. parking lot. Many cars honked their horns and shouted "ZRock" out their windows. Photo credit: Melissa Herrera

Pumpkinhead used to go on for as long as the contestants could withstand it, the record for someone standing the longest even being three days.

Now, it typically lasts a day, with the last contestant winning the grand prize and major bragging rights for the year.

This year, the crew at Z-Rock have even started the first-ever college edition Pumpkinhead, which is taking place Oct. 26 at Riley’s. Students are welcome to sign up and try their hand at winning some cash.

Boris also had advice for listeners and non-listeners of Z-Rock.

“Anybody that doesn’t listen to 106.7 Z-Rock is a disappointment to their parents, their entire friend group is lying to them, that they actually are friends with them, and they should come down and check out Pumpkinhead.”