Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota has broken the world record (again) with his pumpkin, weighing 2,749 pounds! This pumpkin was recorded at the 50th Annual Pumpkin Weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, California. This marks Gienger’s 3rd championship win. His entry last year weighed 2,560 pounds.
The annual competition brings growers of all ages from across the U.S. to Half Moon Bay, all hoping to win. And boy do these growers have the green thumb! Aside from bragging rights, they also get a pretty hefty payout of $9 per pound.
Due to Girnger’s entry last year, event organizers needed to get a new industrial scale. The new one can hold up to five tons! “This thing’s not going to weigh on a 4′ by 4′ scale,” Gienger told ABC7 News. “It needs something bigger. I mean the thing’s 7’5″ long by 6’7″ so it’s pretty big but yeah they had to buy a new scale for it.”
After shattering the North American record with his pumpkin last year, Gienger wanted to step his game up. Not only did he break AND set a new world record, he also walked away with a $30,000 prize. The previous world record was held by a man in Italy, the pumpkin weighing 2,703 pounds.
“This thing’s been surprising, this thing is named Michael Jordan because it’s 23 and the greatest basketball player of all time so only thing we gotta figure out is if it’s the greatest pumpkin of all time,” Gienger said. Turns out naming his pumpkin after the basketball G.O.A.T. was appropriate in the end.
The weigh-off kicks off the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival, taking place on October 14th and 15th.
