The sun peeked out over the Kansas City skyline Monday morning just as Steve Keuny set off at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers inside a 1,293-pound pumpkin.
"Our plan is to float this pumpkin down the Missouri River," Keuny said. "We're trying to break the Guinness World Record for longest distance float in a pumpkin."
Wearing a wet suit to protect him from the chilly water and morning air, Keuny launched from Lewis and Clark Park at Kaw Point bound for Napoleon, Missouri. He estimated the journey would take around eight hours, putting him 38 miles downstream before sundown.
The attempt took a lot of planning and a fair amount of courage. Flying Asian carp, river barge traffic and dangerous eddies lay ahead for Keuny.
Last year, Nebraska farmer Duane Hansen floated 38 miles down the Missouri River in a 846-pound pumpkin. Despite the lack of legroom he reported, Hansen broke all previous records.
Now, Keuny is attempting to break Hansen's record in a much larger squash that he grew from seed himself.
"There's a little bit more leg room, but it is going to be cramped, that's for sure," Keuny said.
It took an entire summer to grow a pumpkin large enough to serve as a boat. Keuny said the Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin is the only variety that grows quite so large.
"We test floated it before we carved it so we would know which end wanted to be up," Keuny said. "Once we figured that out, we marked it, made the hole at the center."
The pumpkin in question measures 13 feet, 6 inches in circumference, and it took about 45 minutes to scoop out the seeds. The shell is about 8 inches thick, and has the words "Huckle Berry" stenciled on the port side.
There wasn't a chance to test float the vessel on the river before setting out, but Keuny hoped for the best.
"It may take all day or it may be over in five minutes," he said as he slid into the water. “I’m just a guy with a pumpkin and a whimsical sense of adventure out to have fun.”
Following the pumpkin downstream is a little armada of kayaks.
"We got the Kansas City paddle group out here, and they have been just instrumental in making sure that we do this safely," Keuny said. "If you're going to do something this silly, you do want to do it safely."
Christy Kurtz is the founder and manager of the Paddle KC paddling club. The veteran kayaker is among the crew out on the river making sure Keuny does not meet his "Waterloo" before making it to Napoleon. Kurtz said it's important to attempt a feat such as this with a team.
"We've checked the water temperature, the speed of the water. We have contingency plans, we know when the barges are coming and we have all the different ramp access points marked out," she said.
The crew also had a variety of paddles on hand for Keuny, to see which one helped him navigate the giant pumpkin best.
"This is one of the more crazy things that we've attempted, but we're out here paddling (the river) all the time," Kurtz said with a laugh. "Our rivers are an untapped recreation venue, but our paddling club gets out on the river over 100 times a year."
"We're hoping that we might be able to reach 4 1/2 miles an hour," Kurtz said. "If we float at 3 miles an hour and hit some eddies, it could be up to 12 hours. But we don't want to be out on the river (after) dark tonight."
The trip has to be documented thoroughly in order to qualify for the world record. Theresa DeSalvo, a board member of the Friends of the Kaw nonprofit, was there to serve as an official witness and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Another witness will be onsite in Napoleon to document Keuny's arrival.
"I was all excited about the great pumpkin coming to Kaw Point," DeSalvo said. "It's all in the spirit of Halloween and bringing people together on the river on this beautiful day."
Copyright 2023 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3. 9(MDA3NTgyODY4MDEzMDcxMjU4NjBlODYwNg001))