HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) — A Santa Rosa man and his 2,346-pound pumpkin were declared winners of Half Moon Bay’s annual giant pumpkin weigh-off contest on Monday.
Brandon Dawson earned first place, and he was awarded $9 per pound.
The pumpkin contest, now in its 52nd year, is a beloved annual tradition attended by families from across the San Francisco Bay Area.
To win a $30,000 grand prize, a grower had to break the world record for heaviest pumpkin, according to Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off organizers.
The current world record heavyweight champion pumpkin is 2,749 pounds, grown by farmer Travis Gienger of Minnesota in October 2023. Gienger appeared at Half Moon Bay’s weigh-off contests in 2022 and 2023.
Dawson’s pumpkin fell about 400 pounds short of breaking the record.
KRON4 reporter Will Tran interviewed farmers, both young and old, about what it takes to grow a giant pumpkin. (Watch in the video player above).
