Newswriting Week 8

Farmer Using Cannon to Protect Watermelons

Farmer comes to last resort as he uses a cannon to protect his crop.

            Hayden Conroy, 52, of Blainville was seen fighting off the famous Watermelon Bandits with his homemade cannon at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. The event occurred on Conroy’s farm at 10327 28^thSt. 

            Although this act seems unreasonable, Conroy and other farmers have been fighting off these Watermelon Bandits for quite some time now. Many have tried other tactics such as fences, poison, and traps. Fed up with his failed attempts to hold back the bandits, Conroy decided to protect his crops with something more extreme and effective. 

            Conroy set up his canon just west of his watermelon patch the bandits had been going after. Neighbors say they heard the canon go off around 7 p.m. about 3-5 times. Conroy states he was slightly nervous to use such an extreme defense mechanism, but he knew he had to protect his watermelons. 

            Since the event, the Watermelon Bandits have nowhere to be seen. The aggressiveness of Conroy’s canon seems to have scared them all off. Other farmers are now thanking Conroy for his courageous act. A neighboring farmer states, “Without Conroy all of us would be without watermelons”. Another says, “None of us would have ever thought to have used such a unique tool to fix this problem”. 

            Now that the Watermelon Bandits are no longer an issue, watermelon crops are thriving. Some say that this will be the best watermelon season the area has seen since 1999. 

Who? Hayden Conroy: farmer 

What? Canon used to fight off Watermelon Bandits 

Where? 10327 280^thSt. Blainville 

When? Neighbors heard the canon around 7p.m. on Wednesday

Why? Conroy was protecting his watermelon from the Watermelon Bandits. He was down to his last resort 

How? Set up a canon west of his watermelon patch 

What’s next? Watermelon bandits haven’t been seen. Watermelon crop is the best it’s been since 1999