The winning pumpkin weighed over 2,000 pounds on Monday, setting a personal best for grower Jeff Uhlmeyer from Olympia, Washington.
Uhlmeyer has been in the massive pumpkin game off-and-on since 2009, even taking third place back in 2017. According to the event spokesperson, Uhlmeyer’s 2021 pumpkin is the second-biggest in all of event history.
Uhlmeyer credits his engineering background for his success in methodically growing produce to such a massive size.
The first Half Moon Bay weigh-off was in 1974 and started as a challenge to Circleville, Ohio’s then-mayor, who claimed his city was the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” The coastal California weigh-off has been happening ever since, making this the 48th event.