A Minnesota gardening teacher remained the reigning champion of Northern California's annual pumpkin weighing contest Monday, with his giant gourd taking home the top prize for the fourth year in a row.
Travis Zinger of Anoka, Minn., beat his closest rival by 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) to win the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-in in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. .
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The winning gourd weighed 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms), falling short of the world record he set last year for a pumpkin of 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms).
Travis Zinger of Anoka, Minn., celebrates winning the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weighing Contest with a pumpkin weighing 2,471 pounds on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024 in Half Moon Bay, Calif. center). (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Mr. Zinger, 44, continued to focus on growing healthy soil and well-nourished plants, but a cold autumn with record rains affected the growth of his pumpkins. He said it was highly likely.
“It was really, really tough weather, but somehow I kept working,” Ginger said. “I had to work for this piece, so I got it done in the end, but it wasn't a big deal.”
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Zinger and his family drove the giant gourd 35 hours to California.
He said the giant pumpkin's next destination will be in Southern California, where a team of professional carvers will carve the pumpkin in 3D at a Halloween event.
