A new winner was crowned for their giant pumpkin at this year’s Whonnock Giant Pumpkin Contest.
In the more than 300-pound category, Yuri Ka won for their 642-pound gourd, dethroning Trevor Halliday – who had won the contest for the past six years.
Second prize was snagged by Steve Harris with his 559 pound pumpkin, and third place was claimed by Joe with his 480.4-pound gem.
In the 201- to 300-pound category, Aliya won with their 263 pound pumpkin, in the 101- to 200-pound category, Reid won with a pumpkin that weighed 196 pounds, and in the 51- to 100-pound category, Tyler took it with his 23.6-pound pumpkin.
The seventh annual event took place Sunday, Oct. 19, at Whonnock Lake.
And, competition was stiff, said organizer Pascale Shaw.
“There were no small pumpkins this year, said Shaw, who co-organized the event with Joanne Halliday.
“That’s because we are all getting better at growing giant pumpkins, ” joked Halliday.
In May, Shaw and Halliday handed out a few hundred seedlings for free from Shaw’s flower farm in Whonnock, Rainbow Eggs Farm, to those who wanted to participate.
And, 37 survived to make it to Sundays weigh-off event.
“This is the most pumpkins we have ever had,” Halliday noted.
Shaw described monsoon rains as they set up for the contest, but the rain stopped just before the event opened to the public.
A few hundred people came out to try to guess the weight of this year’s giants.
“We were so lucky with the weather this year,” said Shaw. “It’s something we have no control over.”
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