Oh my gourd: Western pumpkin growers shine at annual competitions
Growing giant pumpkins is a science, especially in the harsh climate and short growing season of many western states.
But, every year as temperatures cool and leaves start to fall, gourd growers across the West gather to show off the fruits of their labor.
2024 Wyoming State Pumpkin Weigh-Off
The 2024 Wyoming State Pumpkin Weigh-Off took place on Oct. 5 in Worland, with around 2,000 people in attendance, according to a Cowboy State Daily article by Reilly Strand.
With just under 70 growing days between the first and last frost, Wyoming growers must be patient and meticulous when it comes to raising giant pumpkins, which can grow up to 50 pounds a day under the right conditions.
“You don’t accidentally grow one of these,” Jay Richard, also known as Wyoming’s Pumpkin King, tells Cowboy State Daily. “They don’t occur in nature. They have to be nurtured into this state.”
After each pumpkin was placed on a scale certified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth using forklifts, “Annie Oakley,” a 1,254-pound pumpkin grown by Chad Kurtenback of Lovell, was crowned as this year’s champion.
While the weigh-off is certainly exciting, the main event for most is the annual Pumpkin Drop, where giant gourds are dropped by a crane from about 200 feet in the air.
In previous years, pumpkins have been dropped on pick-up trucks, an RV and a giant representation of a COVID-19 germ. This year, Richard offered up an eight-foot Wile E. Coyote figurine holding an umbrella to be smashed by the pumpkins.
Colorado pumpkins break state record
During the month of October, pumpkin growers in the Centennial State have held their own weigh-offs, smashing the state record multiple times.
According to an Oct. 11 article written by Lincoln Rogers in The Fence Post, Chad New of Parker, Colo. set the giant pumpkin record several years ago with a 1,783-pound pumpkin, besting the previous record which stood for six years.
On Sept. 21, a 1,955-pound pumpkin grown by Brad Bledsoe of Wellington, Colo. broke the state record, but one week later, New took back his title with a 1,976.5-pound pumpkin named Cowboy.
Although Bledsoe only held the state record for a short time, he says, “It feels really good. You can’t take away Colorado’s first one-ton pumpkin from me.”
Giant pumpkins on display in Utah
In Utah, giant pumpkins went on display early in September during the 2024 Utah State Fair, held Sept. 5-15 in Salt Lake City, then again during the 2024 Giant Pumpkin Festival, hosted by Anderson’s Seed and Garden on Center Street in Logan, Utah.
According to an article published in The Utah Statesman on Oct. 7 and written by Samantha Isaacson, 28 pumpkins were on display during the festival.
The winning pumpkin tipped the scale at 2,289 pounds and was grown by Ralph and Juana Laub, breaking the Utah state record by two pounds.
According to a Sept. 30 Cowboy State Daily article by Andrew Rossi, the seed used to grow the giant gourd came from Andy Corbin, a pumpkin grower from Cheyenne who set Wyoming’s state record last October with a 2,062-pound pumpkin.
Anderson’s Seed and Garden Co-Owner Mark Anderson notes, “Our festival is unique in the fact we know how hard it is for the growers who are participating in this to grow the pumpkins. So, we have made it a really special experience for them. We have things going on for the growers to stay engaged since they are the ones who stay all day.”
In an interview with ABC4 News, Utah Giant Pumpkin Growers President Clint Nash explains Utah is not conducive to growing pumpkins because of summer weather fluctuations, which range between 100-plus degrees Fahrenheit to the low 70s.
Therefore, growers have to make a lot of altercations and work day and night to keep the pumpkins in a balanced environment.
“It’s almost like having a pet or a little toddler to take care of for a few months,” Nash tells ABC4 News.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
