Giant pumpkins weighed for the win in Colchester

COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) - It’s the annual giant pumpkin weigh off in Colchester. A Winooski resident tells me it’s a great way to kick off the fall festivities.

“It’s just such a fun community event, we try to make it every year, it’s just like so happy and joyful and fun to guess the pumpkin weights,” said Winooski resident Emmie Headrick.

Families and friends gathered to watch giant pumpkins battle for the heavy weight title.

The Vermont Giant Pumpkin Growers Association holds several events and meetings throughout the year, such as seed swaps and pumpkin patch tours.

Hoping to bring the giant vegetables -- specifically pumpkins -- to as many people as possible.

“We love fall, and we love pumpkins, and we just have a blast here,” said Winooski resident Megan Carswell.

Carswell says she’s been coming to this event for three years and loves to be able to show the pumpkins to all her friends.

“We came a few years ago with a bunch of my friends who don’t live in Vermont, and it was so fun to show them how big pumpkins can be as silly as that sounds,” said Carswell.

Site Coordinator Kevin Companion says this is one of the biggest shows of the year.

“We all get together once a year, you see them at fairs throughout the year, but this is the big show. This is where the biggest are, this is where you go to see the biggest, they have the longest time to grow,” said Companion.

The winning pumpkin this year weighed in at 1,092 pounds and second place was 1,065 pounds. Vermont Giant Pumpkin Growers Association President Ethan Nelson says this annual event holds a special place in his heart.

“You’d have to go pretty far to find larger and more spectacular variety of vegetables, this is something really special,” said Nelson.

Companion says the number of participants is a less than usual because of the soggy summer.

“We’re down a little bit this year because of the growing season we’ve had and the flooding, but we still have over 20 entries here today,” said Companion.

Despite the tough growing season, organizers say they can’t wait to do it again next year.