HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Thad Starr's giant pumpkin really began putting on weight in August. A lot of weight. The pumpkin gained about thirty pounds a day on its way to victory Monday at the 35th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off in Half Moon Bay.
© AP Photo/Paul SakumaThad Starr, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., tips his hat after winning in the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off contest in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. Starr's pumpkin weighed 1,528 pounds (693 kg) and beat the local contest record.
Starr's pumpkin finished at 1,528 pounds, beating the contest record he set last year by four pounds.
"We really pamper them," Starr, 41, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., said about the pumpkins he raises, adding that the secret to growing big pumpkins is good soil.
Tim Beeman, a spokesman for the contest, said Starr's pumpkin was four feet, four inches tall with a circumference of about 15 feet.
Starr beat out dozens of other growers from Washington, Oregon and California. Beeman said seven pumpkins came in at more than 1,000 pounds.
Forklifts were used to place the giant gourds on a 5-ton, industrial-strength scale. Starr said he bought a trailer to transport his giant gourd.
Comment: Robyn Crane found a creative way to spell out some truths of the GOP ticket and their fascist campaign. Let's not forget though that - once more- these are faux elections.