World of the Bizarre

Minnesota man's gargantuan pumpkin sets new world record in California

By T.K. Randall
October 16, 2023 ·  0 comments

That's one big pumpkin... Image Credit: Guinness World Records / YouTube It's certainly not unusual to see pumpkins at this time of the year, but far from carving them into jack-o-lanterns, participants at this year's World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California were focused solely on growing the largest and heaviest pumpkin possible.

The event, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, saw expert growers from across the world present some truly enormous pumpkins, but there was one that stood out from all the rest.

Grown by horticulture teacher Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, the winning entry was a giant jack-o'-lantern gourd weighing in at a staggering 2,749 pounds (or 1,247 kilograms).The pumpkin didn't just win the competition, it also broke the world record which had been set back in 2021 by an Italian grower whose huge squash weighed 2,702 pounds (1,226 kilograms) .

"I was not expecting that. It was quite the feeling," said Gienger.

"I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people's faces and it's just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town."


Source: Huffington Post | Comments (0)

Tags: Pumpkin