Pumpkin festival pumped, primed

The ninth-annual Rainy River Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival goes this Saturday in Rainy River and according to organizers, there will be no shortage of things to see and do for the entire family.
Special emphasis this year will be on attracting more people from the east end of the district, who traditionally have not embraced the autumn extravaganza with the same enthusiasm as those from other areas.
“From Emo to Fort Frances, there seem to be few people growing pumpkins,” said a puzzled Eltjo Wiersema, head organizer of the festival.
“I don’t know why.”
Wiersema said the festival continues to attract entries from as far away as Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, as well as Minnesota, but he hopes to see a better showing from the east end this year.
And there certainly will be good reasons to take it in.
In addition to prizes for the biggest pumpkins on display, there will be other incentives for those who choose to make the drive to Rainy River. There will be a potluck meal at noon, followed by the official weigh-in, which begins at 1 p.m.
That also is the official cut-off time for those wishing to enter the pumpkin contest. And for those who do, there are a number of ways to win.
In addition to prizes for the heaviest entry, there is a special junior category for kids under 12, who can win up to $50. Second- and third-place pay $25 and $10, respectively.
There is no entry fee for this category.
In addition, there are prizes for harvest displays, sunflowers, and oddities. There even is a pumpkin seed-spitting contest.
The heaviest pumpkin will earn $1,000 and the coveted “Golden Hoe” award while second place is worth $500. Even third place pays $100, so the $10 entry fee looks like a good investment.
There also is a prize for a hidden weight that pays $100, so, literally, anybody could win.
And just how big are these gargantuan gourds?
“Our record pumpkin was 742 pounds,” Wiersema recalled. “Last year, the winner was 729 pounds and, hopefully, there will be something bigger this year.”
Wiersema also noted special security precautions are in place this year because of the possibility of an uninvited guest making an unwelcome appearance at the festival.
The Great Beaver—which has been terrorizing west-end residents for some time—has a well-known penchant for giant pumpkin seeds so the organizing committee is taking no chances.
“He’s a mysterious creature and could show up anywhere, but we want the public to know we have guards and stuff in case anything happens,” Wiersema said.
He declined to go into details on the measures being taken on the grounds of “national security,” but gave his assurance his people are prepared for any eventuality.
“The public will be well protected,” he vowed.
Rainy River Mayor Gordon Prost made a point of reassuring the public the organizers are well-prepared to deal with the Great Beaver—should it be brazen enough to show itself Saturday.
“He’s [Wiersema] got everything under control and will have some means of scaring it off if it does show up,” a confident Mayor Prost said.
“It’s a great festival and it’s a wonderful thing they’re doing here,” he enthused.
Alberton Reeve John Milling, whose son, Daniel, is entering a pumpkin this year, said the long hot summer has been good for growing giant pumpkins and there could be some real bruisers on the scales.
“They need a lot of water, of course, but there should be some good ones this year,” said Milling.
Milling said during the height of the growing season (August), these garden Goliaths can gain as much as 30 pounds per day if they receive sufficient water.
Registration begins at 10 a.m. in Hannam Park, right at the end of Fourth Street. Just look for the big tent.