For the first time in the history of the annual Uesugi Farms Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, two pumpkins weighing more than one ton apiece were entered in the contest—and one of those set a new U.S. record.
Pete and Cindi Glasier, of Napa, beat out 24 other contestants with their prize-winning 2,036-pound pumpkin, which brought the couple $14,252 in prize money.
“(I needed) a new pallet, a new lifting rig and a rental truck,” Pete said about transporting the record-breaking gourd.
“I’m so glad it’s over,” Cindi added.
Second place went to John Hawkley, of Napa, for his pumpkin weighing in at 2,002 pounds and third went to Rob Globus for his 1,970-pound pumpkin.
Doug Rodrigues, master of ceremonies for the 24th annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, said pumpkin size has changed drastically in a little more than 20 years.
“The first giant pumpkin contest winner at Uesugi Farms weighed in at 236 pounds in 1991,” he said. “This contest is truly a friendly competition. Growers share their enthusiasm, excitement and even their pumpkin-growing secrets.”
Brad Porter and Ron Roof served as the event’s two judges, performing both a pre-event examination and a second inspection during the weigh-off while the pumpkins were suspended in harnesses. Porter said they look for soft spots and three or more holes in the pumpkins, which would disqualify entries.
Also, as pumpkin grower Richard Larson learned, no writing is allowed on the pumpkins; Larson had to wash off the “Happy Thanksgiving” sign on his entry.
When the contests have come and gone, the pumpkins are generally not used for eating.
“The pumpkin (meat) does not smell good and it tastes sour,” Porter said. “Cows and pigs, however, love it. Most of the growers will sell their pumpkins to casinos and other events for display.”
Grower Joe Jahn, of San Jose, had similar plans.
“I will either set it on my lawn for display or donate it to the Valley Vista Elementary School, which will probably have a contest for the children to guess its weight.”
Gary Miller, of Napa, guessed his pumpkin entry would weigh at least 1,200 pounds.
“If it’s not, I’m going to go home and cry,” he said. “This is the passion we have. It’s so wonderful to see so many people get into this.” Miller was happy when his pumpkin weighed in at 1,394 pounds.
At Uesugi Farms, these heavy behemoths are moved with a homemade harness designed and built by John Gomez.
“We’ve never dropped a pumpkin with this harness,” he said.
However, the harness was not large enough when the heaviest and biggest pumpkin was brought in front of the stage. A new harness, made for use on oil rigs for large loads, had to be used.
Due to the ever-increasing size of entrants, Rodrigues suggested to Uesugi Farms owner, Joe Aiello, that future contests will need upgraded equipment, including a larger stage and a larger capacity scale and harness.
Russ Pugh, of Santa Rosa, brought a pumpkin that weighed 1,639 pounds and said he doesn’t really keep track of the effort he put into the gourd.
“I have no idea how many hours it takes to grow these pumpkins,” Pugh said. “From May to July, it’s about 2 1/2 hours a day. Then, until October, it’s about 1 1/2 hours a day.”
After a quick calculation, Rodrigues said, “A total of about 300 hours. And a pumpkin can add 50 pounds of new growth a day.”
Aside from the weigh-off prize, there are additional awards given out for various categories.
Eric Carlson, of Portola Valley, grabbed the $500 Santa Clara County Award with his 1,350-pound pumpkin.
The Uesugi Farms Howard Dill Award—for the prettiest pumpkin judged by the most clapping from the audience—went to Matt McConkie.
Uesugi Farms will show the documentary “Rise of the Giants” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25. The movie is about a group of dedicated pumpkin growers who wanted to grow the largest pumpkin in the world. They succeeded.
