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A Decade in Review
Date: Saturday, October 5th, 1996. Location: Collins,
New York, World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh off. Paula
and Nathan Zehr weigh a new world record pumpkin at
1061 pounds, and are the first to break the magic 1000
pound barrier. That same day, the late Bill Greer weighs
a 1006 pounder many miles away in Ottawa, Canada. What
many thought could not be done has been accomplished,
not once but twice in the same year.
Fast-forward almost 9 years to the day. Date: October
1st, 2005. Location: rural Altoona, Pennsylvania. My
friend and fellow Georgian Bob Attaway has called me
on his cell phone as Larry Checkon’s beast is brought
forward. The rumor mill has been working double shifts
lately over this pumpkin. I can hear a collective gasp erupt
from the crowd as the monster is rested squarely on
the scale. Seconds later, Marv Miesner calls out the
weight. 1469 pounds, another world record and the 8th
in as many years. The crowd is in shock. Many have
never seen a pumpkin even close to this size. Is it real?
Others are amazed for a different reason. Given its
dimensions, they were expecting a much greater weight,
perhaps as much as 1700 pounds. All are impressed regardless.
How could anyone anywhere who has ever sown a marigold
seed in a milk carton not to be in total awe
of such a fruit?
1061 pounds in 1996 grows to 1469 pounds in 2005.
That’s a 408 pound gain in weight in 9 years or about
45 pounds per year. I’m sure there are a few growers
out there weeping like children over such a figure.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much does it?
That 408 pounds is deceptive however. The most dramatic
statistic lies not in the increase of maximum weight
by a few select growers but in the cumulative increases
of many. In 1996 there were two 1000 pounders grown
and the pumpkin world rejoiced. This year there will
be over a hundred with many going largely unnoticed
by the bulk of the community. Growing a thousand pounder
these days is akin to one achieving a black belt ranking
in a martial art. It is unquestionably a goal for the
novice but once achieved, represents not an end of
a quest but the beginning. In short, you have arrived!
So what brought us to that first 1000 pounder? What
has nurtured this 408 pound gain? Just how did we get
here? Luck? Chance? Global warming? Here’s a brief
synopsis of what I believe to be milestones in the
sport:
In what I consider to be the single most important
event in the history of giant pumpkin growing, Don
Langevin wrote and published the book “Growing World
Class Giant Pumpkins” in 1993. In my opinion, it was
this event that opened the world’s eyes to the sport
of giant pumpkin growing and brought it from the shadows
to the masses. I must have read it a thousand times
as it took up permanent residency on the back of my
toilet (sorry Don). It was indeed, as many have referred
to it, the “bible” of giant pumpkin growing. Two sequels
followed, each classic in their own right, and you
would be hard-pressed to find a grower that doesn’t
own at least one. The photo of my wife Debbie and me
in volume III is probably as valuable to me as our
own wedding pictures. Let’s keep that just between
us though…
At the same time, another movement was beginning to
take shape. Al Eaton’s hierarchy trees were printed
and distributed through the Ottawa-St.Lawrence Growers
Association. Al had been keeping track of seed lineage
since 1992 and his first tree, the 664 Eaton, was published
in the OSLGA newsletter in 1995. At times, I have suspected
Al himself may have been grown from a pumpkin seed
(check with the AGGC for complete lineage) given his
undying dedication to the sport. As a result, growers
began paying more attention to seeds based on their
performance and background. Favorites started to emerge
with some achieving legendary status. The fabled 567.5
Mombert 1992 was such a seed. While the 567.5 itself
was a fairly typical pumpkin in appearance and weight,
its seeds produced many of the largest, most memorable
pumpkins of that time, all with great shape and color.
It never produced one in excess of 1000 pounds however,
a goal I know Kirk would have loved to achieve. It
and the equally significant 935 Lloyd 1996, forms the
foundation under which the bulk of today’s top pumpkins
have been built.
In 1996, the Mallorn Internet mailing list was in
its infancy. Basically, it was an online message board
where one could post questions regarding the sport
of giant pumpkin growing and, hopefully, receive a
meaningful, educated answer. It quickly gained a loyal
following of pumpkinheads, myself included. Topics
of discussion ranged from the superfluous to the scientific
and there was no shortage of online sparring. When
the smoke cleared however, it provided a fantastic
new medium for channeling information on these mystical
giants to a whole new generation of growers. A renaissance
had begun.
1997 saw no “official” 1000 pounders. That is, none
were weighed without disqualifying defects. Grown from
the previous year’s 1006 Greer, Chris Anderson’s 977
came closest. 1998’s Burke 1092 set another world record,
grown from the previously mentioned 935 Lloyd 1996.
1999 brought us the first pumpkin over 1100 pounds
in the 1131 Checkon, again grown from the 935 Lloyd.
The 1140 Stelts 2000 set the bar just a tad higher.
2001 saw three pumpkins over 1200 pounds and the 4th
world record in as many years. The 1337 Houghton 2002
added fuel to the fire as the first pumpkin over 1300
pounds. The 1458 Whittier 2003 DMG, while not being
regarded as “official” due to a hole, gave notice that
the 1500 pound wall was not long to stand. 2004 brought
us an additional three in excess of 1400 pounds and
2005 has introduced three more. The 1500 mark remains
threatened but unscathed and symbolizes the “white
whale” to many. No one can predict when or even if
that 1500 pound barrier will be breached but you can
bet there is more than a handful of growers hoping
to be the first.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride. Pumpkin organizations
have been brought to their knees under the weight of
infighting, power struggles, and worse. Money changes
everything and the pumpkin world has never been immune
to the worst of its influences. The whole "it’s a pumpkin/it’s
a squash” debate rivals any ad campaign the folks at
Miller Lite ever conceived. Silly as it seems, the
prize structure for pumpkins and squash is quite different
so heated disagreements over classification are not
surprising. This and assorted other controversies has
caused many to shun the “pumpkin politics” in favor
of a more benign “just grow ‘em and show ‘em” philosophy.
Things have changed a great deal in 9 years. Pumpkinbased
message boards are now commonplace and just about every
pumpkin organization has its own web site. There’s
even a site dedicated to the documentation of pumpkin
lineage and progeny if you can believe that. What a
time sink that must be! The Internet has made the transfer
of knowledge often as easy as asking the question.
Not just for porn anymore, it’s allowed growers from
around the world access to information once held and
guarded by but a few. Top seeds are auctioned off to
the highest bidder, a dubious practice in the eyes
of many but one widespread nonetheless. The bottom
line is that all growers, young and old, rookie or
veteran, can now compete on a level playing field restricted
only by their own talent and determination. This, as
in most of life’s endeavors, separates the men from
the boys, the women from the little girls, the men
from the little girls, the ... well, you get the idea.
I’ve been growing these things since 1997 and have
yet to break the 700 pound mark. I’m not ashamed of
that fact. On the other hand, I’d have to be an idiot
to be proud of it. Historically, I’ve blamed my lack
of success on the less-than-perfect conditions in which
we grow here in Georgia. Yeah, that’s right, Georgia.
Land of high humidity and low pumpkin weights. With
1000 pounders now being grown in all corners of the
world however, I find my self grasping for new excuses
but suspecting my own incompetence as the real culprit.
Like many, I am in awe of those growers who can consistently
bang out 1000+ pounders year after year. The physical
and emotional toll taken during the course of a season
is staggering whether that season succumbs to success
or failure. It’s difficult not to get upset at times,
especially when Ma Nature’s disposition turns nasty.
It’s hard to be happy watching 3 months worth of work
turned to cole slaw by a hail storm that the bozos
at the weather bureau never predicted. We can always
add water to a dry patch. What do you do when one torrential
rain after another has rendered your patch into little
more than a groomed mud puddle? Pumpkins don’t swim
you know!
It’s the day before Halloween as I sit here editing
this article. What better time to write a story on
pumpkins? That, coupled with the fact I’ve put off
doing this until the last possible moment, has provided
just the right combination of inspiration and initiative.
After all, whose heart doesn’t beat a little faster
at the sight of a farm stand full of jack o’lantern
wannabes? Nature’s most perfect vegetable, pumpkins
are what have brought us all together. For those of
you who don’t know me, I’m the knucklehead that runs
the AGGC, the pumpkin world’s answer to the Wall Street
Journal. Year after year, I enter information on hundreds
of different pumpkins and present that data on the
AGGC web site. In doing so, I get a pretty good, unbiased
view of the sport, mainly from a technical standpoint
rather than a political one. From what I have seen,
I can tell you this: the sport is stronger than ever,
more popular than ever, and it isn’t going away. We’ve
come a long way so give yourself a big hand for contributing
to a fine effort. It may not change the world but it
may just make a few people’s life a little happier.
Grow ‘em big, grow ‘em pretty. Most importantly, just
grow ‘em.
Thanks for listening. See you all in 2006.
Mike Nepereny
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