A Harvard student had finally achieved his longtime dream of floating in a giant pumpkin across the Charles River in Boston over the weekend.
What happened: Benjamin Chang, a senior at Harvard University, successfully paddled across the Charles River in Boston on Saturday aboard his 1,500-pound (680.3 kilograms) pumpkin that he picked up from a farm in New Hampshire.
Chang reportedly started paddling from the Cambridge side of the river to the Boston side before going back to his starting point.
His purpose: The amazing stunt was reportedly part of an effort to raise money for a student-led bio-engineering lab at Harvard, which Chang is a member of. Chang reportedly received money donations from people at the scene to try out his pumpkin boat. The senior college student earned hundreds of dollars in donations.
Speaking to WCVB, Chang said it was fun seeing other people try the pumpkin boat as well.
The background: Chang first attracted attention online after asking the r/Boston subreddit in early October for help. In his post, Chang asked the members of the subreddit if he could borrow a forklift that he would use to carry the pumpkin for the project.
His effort eventually paid off as his post caught the attention of Tim Myra, who volunteered one of his forklifts to Chang.
“My parents are not super happy that this is happening,” Chang told WBZ News Radio, which documented the project.
How he did it: After arriving at the location, Chang, some of his friends and other people helped him carve the pumpkin and scoop out the insides to make room that could fit an adult.
“What better way to capture the fascination of biology than with a giant pumpkin,” Chang told WBZ NewsRadio.
