CHESWOLD, Del. (AP) - Jerry Caldwell's carriage won't be turning into a pumpkin -- because it already is a pumpkin. The retired IBM exec decided his town of Cheswold, Del., needed something big for a tourist attraction. So, he's built what could be the world's biggest pumpkin carriage. While he's grown 400-pounders in the past, Caldwell decided to construct his big orange ride out of fiberglass. The 7-foot-tall pumpkin carriage carries up to eight passengers and even has hydraulic brakes. He says he's contacted the Guinness people to see if his pumpkin carriage sets a new record.
CAMARO COLLECTION
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) - Matt Schon has a new Camaro, but it's far from his
first. Schon and his wife Heather already have '67, '68 and '69 Camaros. Unlike
his new Chevy muscle car, Schon had to restore all the old ones. But the Camaro
collector couldn't resist doing a little work on his 2010 SS2 model. He sanded
the hood and trunk and painted on custom rally stripes. Schon tells the Daily
Press newspaper they'll be showing all of their Camaros, at the Virginia Fall
Classic car show in Newport News Park later this month.
OIL-FREE FRYER
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - It's fries without the fried. Scientists at Purdue
University have developed an alternative fryer. Their radiant fryer cooks with
high temperatures, but no oil. Associate Professor Kevin Keener will be demoing
the prototype Wednesday on the Indiana campus. He'll be cooking up hash browns
and chicken patties using both his prototype and traditional oil fryers.
Researchers say the radiant fryer means food with less fat and fewer calories --
but with deep fried taste.
COOKING AT SEA
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) - Cooking instructor Darryl McKnight has one bit of advice
for his students -- "throwing up is not an option." He spent 15 years at sea
cooking on U.S. Coast Guard cutters. Now, he teaches future Coast Guard cooks.
The students have to learn how to prepare meals and feed the crew in the
roughest of seas. But cooking isn't the only skill students in the galley class
pick up at an Austria, Ore., training center. McKnight tells a local paper (The
Daily Astorian) they also have to learn how to make the best of the sloppiest
situations.
NO GUN
HAVERHILL, Mass. (AP) - No gun -- no cash. Police in Haverhill, Mass., report a
convenience store clerk refused the demands of a would-be crook. Officers say
the clerk demanded to see the gun, when a man tried to rob the place. Police
report the 22-year-old suspect ran and was later caught in some nearby woods.
Officers say no gun was found on him. The man has pleaded not guilty to a number
of charges, including attempting to commit a crime.
HOMING PIGEONS
STERLING, Ill. (AP) - There's no place like home -- for a homing pigeon. Norbert
Padilla has been breeding and racing homing pigeons for about 70 years. Now,
he's hoping to attract a younger generation of pigeon lovers. Padilla is a
member of the Rock River Racing Pigeon Club. The pigeons fly 300 miles in a half
day and manage to find their way home to Sterling, Ill. Padilla says not even
scientists know how they do it. And don't confuse a homing pigeon with the sort
you see in the park. Padilla tells a local paper (Sauk Valley Newspapers) that's
like comparing a mule to a racehorse.
