HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — There is a new American record holding pumpkin king and his name is Joel Holland, a retired firefighter from Sumner WA, who set a new American record with a gorgeous and gargantuan 2,363-pound mega-gourd, the second heaviest pumpkin EVER grown worldwide at today’s Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay CA.
See the beautiful beast (and four heaviest overall) this weekend at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.
Nine pumpkins weighed in at over 1,100 pounds at this year’s event. Complete results here
Holland, now a 7-time winner at Half Moon Bay, won $16,541 ($7 per pound) plus Half Moon Bay’s coveted “Mel Mello Sr. Grand Champion Green Jacket” and a “starring role” in this weekend’s Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival where his mighty gourd will be on display along with the top four overall from the weigh-off.
Last year’s champion grower Cindy Tobeck of Olympia WA was second with a 2,002 pounder and won $2,000. Jeff Uhlmeyer of Tumwater WA was third with a 1,927 pounder and received $1,500.
George Armanino of Pescadero CA won Biggest Coastside Pumpkin at 881 pounds and received $500.
The audience-judged Most Beautiful Pumpkin award went to Art Martinez of Fremont CA. He won $500.
Holland’s grand champion mega-gourd (and the top four overall) will be proudly displayed at the world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, this weekend (Oct. 14-15 –– Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, California.
—Miramar Events
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