Californian Claims Title At Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Weigh-Off
HALF MOON BAY (AP/BCN) - A California man is this year's winner of the Half Moon Bay giant pumpkin contest, becoming the first in-state gourd grower to dominate the patch in 11 years.
Ron Root's prize-winning pumpkin tipped the scales at 1,535 pounds and measured 410-and-a-half inches over the top. That wasn't a weigh-off record but hefty enough to beat out the 59 other entries Monday.
It was the Citrus Heights man's fourth time as a participant. He grew his pumpkin from seeds provided by a previous year's winner on land donated by a pumpkin patch near his home.
Root placed third in the competition in 2009, said his secret was "a lot of water, a lot of sun and a lot of luck."
Brant Bordsen of Marysville said his second-place pumpkin, weighing 1,476 pounds, was "a problem child at the beginning" before growing like crazy until weigh-off time.
Last year's winner, grown by Don Young, of Des Moines, Iowa, still has the heaviest pumpkin in the championship's 30-year history, weighing 1,658 pounds.
For his orange thumb, Root will get $9,210 -- $6 per pound—plus another $1,000 for producing the biggest California pumpkin.
The contest, now in its 37th year, also drew contestants from Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
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