The ninth-annual Rainy River Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival saw its all-time record smashed Saturday as Kyle Paulson and her husband, Steve Thorson, of Pinewood, Mn. (near Bemidji) both weighed in record-setting pumpkins.
Paulson’s entry tipped the scales at a whopping 765 pounds—some 23 pounds heavier than the former record set by Wayne Both of Barwick several years ago (742).
“I said to myself, please let his [her husband’s] be heavier!” she noted.
But Thorson’s pumpkin weighed in at 756 pounds to take second place. “I guess I will be eating some crow for the next year!” he remarked.
In all likelihood it will be hoe, a golden one at that, he will be eating as his wife won the coveted trophy for having the largest pumpkin at the festival.
She also won $1,000 while Thorson pocketed $500.
Paulson also won the Rookie of the Year Award—a silver watering can—for growing the largest pumpkin as a first-time participant in the festival.
But both Paulson and Thorson are not strangers to growing giant pumpkins. He became interested in the hobby about six or seven years ago. “I like gardening and read an article on it and got some seeds,” he noted.
His first attempt yielded a 180-pounder. “I liked it and searched for better seeds,” Thorson remarked.
He then hit 300 pounds and from there went right to 837.
“I was a bagpiper [now retired] and I told the guys in the band that I serenaded my pumpkins to get them that big!” Thorson said.
The secret to their success, he said, is, “Good seed, good soil, and good gardening.”
Their patch was 60’x60’ and the two pumpkins they brought to Rainy River were not the biggest ones in it. “We had one 900-plus pounds but it developed a hole in it so we could not bring it,” Thorson noted.
They had four plants in the patch and gave each pumpkin about 1.5 inches of water per week. They are not sure of how many gallons that is, but it is a lot.
The couple is not new to the winner’s podium. Thorson won $1,500 (U.S.) at a contest in Anomosa, Iowa three years ago with his 837-pounder. Then two years ago, he won at Rolland, Man. with an 865-pounder.
Gord Olson, another veteran grower at this year’s festival who set a personal best with a 633-pound entry, said he was giving his pumpkins 100 gallons of water per day.
“I wish I would have had two more weeks of growing time, “ said Olson, figuring his would have topped 700 pounds, as well.
Another grower, who had a substantial pumpkin at the festival, said his secret has to do with the type of water he uses.
“I pump my water directly from the river at a secret location. The sturgeon poop in the water helps the pumpkins to grow as big as sturgeon do!” he noted.
The grower asked to remain anonymous as he’s sure he is onto something that will make him the top grower next year.
Rounding out the top three was former champion Don Cronk from Thunder Bay, who had a 724-pound pumpkin. He won $100 for his effort.
Ben Johnson, last year’s champ, sent his wife, Lesley, with a pumpkin that came in fourth at 670 pounds. He was attending a festival being held on the same day in Thunder Bay.
“We tried to stagger ours so that it would not be the same weekend as here, but then Rainy changed its date,” said Lesley Johnson.
Rainy River switched the weekends for the pumpkin festival and the Rainy River Walleye Tournament to try and improve fishing results at the derby.
In the junior division, Kyle Olson won the $50 prize with a 353-pound pumpkin, with Daniel Milling taking second (and $25) for his entry that weighed 323 pounds.
Damon, Aaron, and Nolan Short took third place ($10) for their 248-pounder. The trio also won the $100 prize for being closest to the hidden weight (which was 241 pounds).
Lara Wood won the Banzai Award for having the smallest pumpkin. Ike Feenstra had the ugliest pumpkin while Jessica Marken won for the most attractive one.
Overall, there were 43 entries, with the total weight of all the pumpkins hitting 10,265 pounds. The average weight was 238 pounds.
In other awards handed out Saturday, Edna Woods took top honours in the Best Decorated Pumpkin category, followed by Lindsey Bourre and Alexis Sharp.
Annie Van Rozen topped the Oddest Overall Vegetable category, with Lara Wood taking second. Don Cronk won the award for the pumpkin that travelled the furthest to the festival.
Carol Jenson was deemed to have the Best Pumpkin Dessert, with Vivian Locking winning for the Best Pumpkin Pie.
John Wiersema and Dave Gosselin tied for first in the Guess the Weight of
a Pumpkin contest, each guessing 187 pounds while the actual weight was 185.
They each won $28.
In the Pumpkin Seed-Spitting contest, Kylee Fileccia won the child division (10’8”), Owen Harrison took the youth division (16’7”), and Jeff Fraser was tops among the adults (31’2”).
And Jack Elliott had the tallest sunflower (166”).
Festival organizer Eltjo Wiersema was very pleased with the turnout. Entries were up from the previous year and weights were very good.
“We had nice weather and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves,” he added.
For next year, which coincides with Rainy River’s centennial, Wiersema hopes to have some 1,000-pound pumpkins weigh in.
To add icing to the cake, a film crew was in Rainy River doing a documentary on Yonge Street (Highway 11)—the longest street in the world.
They filmed most of the pumpkin festival and even had the entire crowd in unison send greetings to their neighbours at the other end of Yonge Street in Toronto.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
