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History of Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest In 1996, Bill Greer who was then Reeve of Wellington, grew an Atlantic Pumpkin that weighed 1006 pounds.
This was one of two pumpkins that broke the 1000 pound barrier for the first time in the history of Giant Pumpkin growing. |
Competitive pumpkin growing is now a world wide hobby with weigh offs in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Japan as well as Canada and the U.S.
At the same time Bill's pumpkin was being weighed at the Byward Market in Ottawa, another monster pumpkin was being weighed in Lowville, New York. It beat Bill's pumpkin by 55 pounds and became World Champion.
Giant pumpkin growing has 2 main growers associations, the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth and the World Pumpkin Commonwealth.
Luckily for Bill the two pumpkins were each weighed off in different associations and Bill's pumpkin was the GPC Champion and was shipped to California where it was carved into the world's biggest Jack O Lantern. The 1997 GPC Champion was a 914 pound pumpkin grown in California from a seed from Bill's 1006 pound giant.
Bill's pumpkin remains the GPC Champion and the Canadian Champion. The first Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest was held in Wellington on October 25, 1997. The idea of celebrating Bill's success and encouraging other growers to try this fascinating hobby, germinated at a meeting of the Wellington and District Business Association in the fall of 1996. The whole community got behind the idea and the first Pumpkinfest for Prince Edward County was born.
Seeds were distributed in early 1997 to anyone interested in growing these giant pumpkins and by October over 40 growers were eager to enter the results of their summer labours.
On October 25th, a huge parade featured growers parading their pumpkins in trucks, trailers and even wheelbarrows and lawnmower carts. Contests, games and food booths added to the festivities.
The weigh-in was held at Midtown Meats and when it was all over, the Canadian Champion came out on top again with a 727 pound giant.
Second prize went to Eleanor Lindsay-MacDonald who grew a 519 pound giant and third prize was won by the combination team of John Dempster and Robin Snooks from White Rose, who weighed in one at 468 pounds.
All growers were also entered into a Grower's Prize Draw and ironically the winner of the smallest pumpkin trophy, also won the largest growers draw cash prize. This was Dan Insley.
