It's decorative gourd season, motherf****rs, and this year — as any other — the place to be is Half Moon Bay. The self-proclaimed World Pumpkin Capital hosts its 46th annual Pumpkin Festival this weekend, but before that, weighers had some heavy lifting to do, selecting the largest pumpkins at the 43rd annual World Champion Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
"This is my ultimate pumpkin fantasy," Cindy Tobeck of Littelrock Washington told ABC7, "to be at Half Moon Bay with something really large." The grower of the greatest great pumpkin, presumably in the most sincere pumpkin patch, claims a prize of $6 per pound.
This year, Tobeck did indeed win with a 1,910-pound gourd that earned her almost $12,000. Last year's winner was even larger than this year's at 1,969 pounds. The event is sponsored by Safeway, where, mercifully, you're unlikely to encounter such gigantic gourds, the likes of which might house a family.
A 1,432 pound pumpkin: Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off via Facebook
Size isn't everything, of course, and another contest for the shapeliest, loveliest, "most beautiful" pumpkin was also hosted. Here's the winning specimen, held aloft by a forklift:
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Cindy Tobeck and her prize-winning pumpkin: Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off via Facebook