It really is the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
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You thought you scored an impressive pumpkin at the grocery store? Check out the massive gourds entered into Saturday’s annual Great Pumpkin Weigh Off at Irvine Park.
Hosted as part of the Irvine Park Railroad’s annual pumpkin patch, the contest drew growers from around the region.
Fourteen pumpkin growers entered the annual contest this year. Vince George won $5,000 for his first-place win. There were also awards for the new grower of the year, prettiest pumpkin and youngest grower.
Kevin Donahue won the Prettiest Pumpkin award.
To say that Donahue is obsessed with growing large pumpkins is an understatment. He starts with the highest quality Atlantic Giant seed, which can cost as much as $500. He pollinates the plant by hand and cares for the pumpkin daily. But his win might have been attributed to his secret fertilizer ingredient: worm poop.
George’s first-place pumpkin looked more like a faded dorm room bean bag chair – a great, big bean bag chair. It weighed in at 1,327 pounds.
Mike Prager finished fourth, with a 930-pounder, but he said he was just relieved that he successfully transported his pumpkin from Ontario. He had to rent a crane to get his gourd over the roof of his house to the driveway. “My wife thinks I’m nuts. She was pretty sure that a pumpkin through the ceiling would not qualify as an act of God.”
He added: “ I was so nervous driving the pumpkin here – probably more nervous than driving my twins home from the hospital.”
The Irvine Park Railroad’s pumpkin patch is open daily through Oct. 31 and features a haunted house, hay maze, hay rides, bounce houses, panning for gold, John Deere races, carnival games and other activities. Entrance is free, but there is a cost for several of the activities. There is also a charge for parking.
The winning pumpkins will be displayed at the pumpkin patch through Oct. 31.