Teacher drives 30 hours with car-sized pumpkin in bid to smash world record
Growers will bring enormous pumpkins to Northern California on Monday for an annual weighing contest. The event opens Half Moon Bay’s autumn celebrations.
Four-time champion Travis Gienger, a Minnesota horticulture teacher, is among the entrants. He missed last year’s contest after his pumpkin split, but this season’s crop may be large enough to contend for a record despite freezing weather.
The current world record belongs to Ian Paton of England, whose squash weighed 2,857 pounds. Gienger grows his pumpkins in a backyard patch; Paton uses a greenhouse.
Last year’s winner, Santa Rosa resident Brandon Dawson, is also returning. His pumpkin weighed 2,346 pounds.
The contest winner receives $9 per pound, and the pumpkin will appear in a weekend parade. A winning entry that breaks the record earns an additional $30,000; pumpkin carver Mike Valladao is also scheduled to appear.
Key points
- The Half Moon Bay weighing contest takes place Monday.
- Travis Gienger and defending champion Brandon Dawson are among the entrants.
- A record-breaking winner receives an additional $30,000.