Jamie Graham stands next to his record-setting pumpkin. (Topsfield Fair)He also won a cash prize of $8,522.
The previous record holder was a 2,294-pound pumpkin, grown by Alex Noel of Abington, Connecticut. Noel must have an affinity for growing giant pumpkins because he came in second place this year with a huge 2,234-pound pumpkin.
Third place was given to Woody Lancaster of Topsfield, Massachusetts, who brought a 1,850-pound pumpkin, according to a fair spokesperson. RELATED: Inver Grove Heights man grows 775 pound giant pumpkinThe hobby of growing giant pumpkins began in 1893 when a mere 365-pound pumpkin was grown by William Warnock of Ontario, Canada, according to the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) website.
The giant gourd was displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair and for the next 70 years, the maximum weight remained in the high 300s and up to 400 pounds until the 70s and 80s, that’s when records began to truly get smashed.