Quick Facts
Heavyweight Championship of Gargantuan Gourds - Top Prize of $6/Pound
Monday, October 11, 2010 - 7am to 11am
I.D.E.S. Grounds, Half Moon Bay, California
HALF MOON BAY IS
AN OFFICIAL GPC SITE
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Don Young with his record-breaking 1,658 lb. win |
What
Will the Giant Pumpkin Heavyweight World Record be squashed in Half Moon Bay, California on October 11? There’s a legitimate chance as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their titanic orbs gather for the 37th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California. A host of veteran, accomplished growers from throughout the west –– and as far away as Iowa with growing legend Don Young entering a "Monster from the Midway" that measures to be a legitimate world record contender –– will be vying for the coveted title and a hefty share of about $20,000 in prize money. In a pay-by-the-pound system, the winner will take away $6 per pound for the champion pumpkin. Don Young's burly 1,658-pound Atlantic Giant obliterated the Half Moon Bay and California records and crushed the formidable field of sixty heavyweight growers under the worldwide media spotlight, taking home the coveted title and $9,948 in prize money. A special $500 prize will be awarded to the “most beautiful pumpkin”.
Using forklifts and special harnesses, the gargantuan 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. Half Moon Bay’s Weigh-Off will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site. The GPC is the major sanctioning body overseeing Giant Pumpkin growing competitions with more than seventy weigh-off locations throughout the world. THE GRAND CHAMPION GOURD, ALONG WITH THE TOP FIVE WEIGH-OFF PUMPKINS, WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 16-17 FROM 9 AM TO 5 PM ON MAIN STREET.
When
Monday, October 11, 2010. Weighing will begin at 7 a.m. and will be concluded at 11 a.m. Growers will start lining the street with their pumpkins as daylight breaks by 7 a.m.
Where
I.D.E.S. Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, California. Directions: take 101 or 280 to Hwy. 92 west, left on Main Street (the first stoplight as you arrive in Half Moon Bay) about 5 blocks to the IDES Grounds. Press parking will be available on Main Street directly in front of the IDES Grounds staging area for easy access.
Why
Kicks-off the HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 16-17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on historic Main Street. The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest and autumn splendor with a spectacular lineup paying homage to The Great Gourd including a special display of gigantically enormous champion pumpkins, three stages of smashing entertainment, live music, the FedEx Great Pumpkin Parade, a bone-chilling Haunted House, harvest-inspired crafts, homestyle foods, expert pumpkin carvers, photos with the grand champion gourd, pie-eating and costume contests, The Golden Gourds Youth Talent Show, The Take 5 Lounge with giant screen TV, festival-label wine and Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Admission is free. Festival Info-Line: 650-726-9652
Prize Money
| OPEN DIVISION |
SAN MATEO
COUNTY DIVISION |
| 1st Place –– $6 per pound |
1st Place –– $500 |
| 2nd Place –– $2,000 |
2nd Place –– $300 |
| 3rd Place –– $1,500 |
3rd Place –– $200 |
| 4th Place –– $1,000 |
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| 5th-10th Place –– $500 |
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Special Prizes
Biggest California Pumpkin –– $1,000
Biggest Coastside Pumpkin –– $500
Biggest San Mateo County Farm Bureau Pumpkin –– $500
Most Beautiful Pumpkin –– $500
Info-Line
650-726-9652
 Download 2009 Weigh-Off Media Alert
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