Brief
Rocky the pumpkin tops Safeway World Championship at 2,289 pounds
The Atlantic giant named Rocky earned $21,900 and a champion ring at the 53rd annual competition.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Atlantic giant pumpkin Rocky was declared the winner of the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh Off on Oct. 12 in Half Moon Bay, California, weighing in at 2,289 pounds, according to Popular Science.
What happened
The 53rd annual event, held in Half Moon Bay, saw pumpkin legend Travis Gienger enter Rocky, which tipped the scales at 2,289 pounds – enough to make roughly 1,144 pumpkin pies and comparable in weight to an American bison.
What the reports add
The article notes that the largest gourd ever recorded at this event weighed 2,749 pounds in 2023, also grown by Gienger. It mentions a recent world‑record pumpkin of 3,156 pounds set in Rhode Island on Oct. 10.
What was said
Popular Science reports that as champion, Gienger will receive $9 per pound, totaling $21,900, plus a Pumpkin King Champion Ring and the Mel Mello Sr. Grand Champion Growers Jacket.
How it came about
The competition began in 1974 as a friendly challenge between Half Moon Bay and Circleville, Ohio, and is now an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth event overseen by the GPC and San Mateo County Department of Agriculture.
Key facts
- Rocky weighed 2,289 pounds at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh Off. (popsci.com)
- Travis Gienger earned $21,900 in prize money as champion. (popsci.com)
- The event is the 53rd annual competition and is sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. (popsci.com)
Sources
- [1] popsci.com — originally reported as “Rocky the pumpkin wins ‘Superbowl of Pumpkin Weigh Offs’ at 2,289 pounds”
