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Hamburg, NY

Pumpkins on stage

The World Pumpkin Confederation held its 2001 Southern Hemisphere Championships last week at Eskbank Farm 20km north of Harare.

Coming at a time of stress and uncertainty in the farming community, the competition provided gentle relief for the five competitors and many spectators.

A departure from the usual prize categories was an award for the saddest pumpkin. Pumpkins and their owners are very prone to sadness as so often, just as the day arrives to load the monster for its last journey to glory, it goes rotten.

The saddest story was that of John Mosley's and Bengy Cawood's pumpkin that had been specially grown in Beit Bridge and went more than rotten. On the morning before the competition, it was loaded with difficulty on to a forty-tonne rig for its long journey to Eskbank. When the cargo arrived at the Sesonye River to cross the Bailey bridge that had been placed across the flood-damaged approach, it was found that a fuel tanker had fallen off the edge of the narrow deck and completely prevented any other vehicle from crossing. Undaunted, Mosley's driver decided to make a deviation to one side and had just got abreast of the dangerously damaged bridge when, without any warning, it collapsed on to the trailer, smashing the alleged 500kg pumpkin into pieces.

The Kennedy and Nascimento families organise the now traditional competition, making it a leading item in Zimbabwe's agricultural calendar.

Entries for the event in 2002 are keenly anticipated.

The following is a list of the main prize winners.

Largest pumpkin

1st - Alistair Headicar of Glendale - 114.9kg
2nd - Dennis, of Eskbank - 112.6kg
3rd - Khebab Zindone, Glendale - 87.0kg
Oddest-shaped pumpkin - Alistair Headicar
Furthest travelled pumpkin - Khebab Zindone -75km
Youngest grower - Eskbank Primary School
Largest squash - Philip, of Eskbank

4/28/2007 8:43:07 PM

Hamburg, NY

Pumpkinfest - in Port Elgin; October 1 - 2, 2005; Official Weigh-Off location for the World Pumpkin Confederation; site of the 1446-pound world record pumpkin, 45 other wacky events including:
artist village and craft show
baking contest
build a scarecrow
Cinderella's Carriage Antique and Classic Car Show - the biggest 2-day car show in Ontario
kiddie karnival
pet show
military obstacle course
seed spitting
straw bale maze and more

4/28/2007 8:44:56 PM

Maine

I don't get it?

4/28/2007 9:15:25 PM

Ohio

You dont get it really?? Heck I do. If you enter the seed spitting contest be sure to tie your pumpkin down and not to haul it in one of those semi trucks, epically across the river thats said to have piranha's(sp) , rumor has it they jump out of the water and get into your pumpkin without warning, and when you open your pumpkin up your seeds are found to be ate and the paronah's(spelling?) jumps out eating your fingers off. so when this happens and if the judges find out you will be thrown in a category like the baking contest or build your own scare crow, because you was found cheating of the added weight of the parahas.

Shesh, anyone can understand that!

4/29/2007 5:19:19 AM

Michigan

Piranha's jumping out of the water and into your pumpkin without warning? Brooks, you must have watched Gray's Anatomy on Thursday !! LOL!!!

4/29/2007 11:47:04 AM