Giant Pumpkin Growers Gather in Half Moon Bay
to Weigh-In Whoppers, Oct. 11
Starr with his gargantuan gourd
Starr shares his growing secrets with the media |
NOTE: Content below is from 2009 event. Check back 3-4 weeks before the event for updated information.
Two-time defending champion and budding legend Thad Starr crushed the competition at Half Moon Bay's Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off last year with a leviathan 1,528-pound Atlantic Giant, the second largest pumpkin grown in the world in 2008. Starr returns to take on the World's Greatest Gourd Growers in Half Moon Bay's Heavyweight Championship on Monday, October 11, the kick-off to Half Moon Bay’s world-famous Art & Pumpkin Festival which takes place October 16-17.
As the sun rises in Half Moon Bay on the morning of the weigh-off, streets around town will be lined with sagging, overloaded pick up trucks crammed with massive pumpkins quietly awaiting their place of destiny in the worldwide media spotlight or the Libby's canning factory. Their giant roots will be firmly planted in buckets of water to prevent weight-loss as fans ooh and aah at the sheer, stunning enormity of the gentle orbs. Using forklifts and special harnesses, the monster gourds will be carefully placed on a 5-ton capacity, industrial-strength digital scale under the watchful eye of officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner's Office of Weights, Sealers, and Measures. A host of accomplished, veteran growers from throughout the west are expected to contend for the coveted title, a starring role in the Pumpkin Festival and the lions share of the prize money. With a hefty top prize of $6 per pound at stake, the pay-by-the-pound system is expected to produce first place prize money of nearly $10,000.
In all, about $20,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top ten heaviest overall along with the top three heaviest from San Mateo County. Special prize money will be awarded to the heaviest pumpkins from California, the Half Moon Bay Coastside, and the San Mateo County Farm Bureau. Beauty will share the spotlight with brawn. A special $500 prize will be awarded to the “most beautiful pumpkin” as judged by the audience based on color, shape and size. The official weighing will take place from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the I.D.E.S. Grounds, 735 Main Street. The champion pumpkin, along with the top five pumpkins overall, will be on display at the Art & Pumpkin Festival on October 16-17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The weigh-off will be held from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. For information on the weigh-off, call 650-726-9652 or check out http://www.miramarevents.com/weighoff/facts.html
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