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Half Moon Bay’s 2022 Pumpkin Weigh-Off, “World Heavyweight Championship of Gargantuan Gourds” (49th Annual)

October 10th, 2022 @ 7:00am - 11:00am

When:  Oct. 10; 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.

What:  No weigh. Weigh!!!

Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths! The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their titanic, mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, October 10 at the 49th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off –– the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” –– in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California and this year organizers, in association with title sponsor Safeway, are upping the ante big time to celebrate the world’s greatest gourd growers.

Using a pay-by-the-pound system, the world’s biggest top prize of $9/pound will be awarded to the 2022 weigh-off champion.

Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay (the current world record is 2,703-pounds set at a 2021 weigh-off in Italy).

Defending champion Jeff Uhlmeyer’s Godzilla-like 2,191-pound mega-gourd handily won the 2021 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay. A host of accomplished veteran growers are expected to contend for the coveted title.

The champion will be feted and play a starring role in the world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 15-16 (including a free weekend at the posh, pumpkin-centric Ritz-Carlton on the stunningly beautiful Half Moon Bay coast).

Defending Half Moon Bay champion Jeff Uhlmeyer took home the top prize with his Godzilla-like 2,191-pound mega-gourd that obliterated a formidable field of heavyweight contenders in winning the 2021 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.

Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn with a $1000 prize awarded for the “Joe Cotchett Family Most Beautiful Pumpkin” as judged by the audience based on color, shape and size.

The grand champion gourd (along with the top four overall) will be on display plus there’s a special weigh-off champion pumpkin photo booth at the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 15-16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main Street.

Where:  IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Main St, Half Moon Bay CA.

 

Website Info: www.miramarevents.com


Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

2022 Schedule of Events

Sunday, October 9

5 p.m. Growers VIP Welcome Party and Media Preview for the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off
Portuguese Cultural Center, 724 Main Street, Half Moon Bay

Monday, October 10

7 a.m. Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off
IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street
11:30 a.m. Growers Awards Luncheon
IDES Hall

Saturday, October 15

7 a.m. Pancake Breakfast, City Hall Lot, Main St. @ Kelly Ave.
9 a.m. Festival Opens
10 a.m. Costume Contest, Half Moon Bay Library, Church & Correas Streets
12 noon Great Pumpkin Parade
2 p.m. Pie Eating Contest (age 11 and under), Bank of America lot
2:15 p.m. Pie Eating Contest (age 12 and over), Bank of America lot
5 p.m. Festival Closes

Sunday, October 16

7 a.m. Pancake Breakfast, City Hall Lot, Main St. @ Kelly Ave.
8 a.m. 43rd Annual Pumpkin Run benefitting Senior Coastsiders
In-Person Events*: Saturday, October 16, 2021: Kid’s Fun Run, 5K, 10K and Half Marathon
Start and finish at Hatch Elementary School – 490 Miramontes Avenue
Run Info and Registration coming soon or call 650-726-9056
*Virtual Events as well from October 1-15, see registration site above for more information
9 a.m. Festival Opens
10 a.m. Pumpkin Carving for Fun (not a contest), Bank of America lot
2 p.m. Pie Eating Contest (age 11 and under), Bank of America lot
2:15 p.m. Pie Eating Contest (age 12 and over), Bank of America lot
5 p.m. Festival Closes
Admission is free
No Pets Please
Kickstand Bicycle Parking 
at a lot located at Kelly Avenue and Purissima Street – $5 to benefit The HEAL Project and Sea Hugger®Info-Line: 650-726-9652
Website: www.miramarevents.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HalfMoonBayPumpkinFestival
Twitter: www.twitter.com/HMBPumpkinFest
Instagram: www.instagram.com/hmbpumpkinfest

 

 


City Council Cancels 2021 Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival and Summers End Concert; Weigh-Off Goes On

 


47th (2020) Annual HMB Pumpkin Festival’s “World Heavyweight Championship of Gargantuan Gourds” LIVE Streams

October 12th, 2020 @ 7:00am – 2:00pm

Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off

47th Annual “World Heavyweight Championship of Gargantuan Gourds” from Half Moon Bay, California

 

We’ll be live-streaming the

weigh-off on Facebook!

 

WHEN: October 12, 2020, 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. (always on Columbus Day)

WHAT: No weigh? Weigh! The excitement builds in October every year as Superstar Gourd Growing Greats and their astounding, mind-boggling Volkswagen-sized orange orbs gather for the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California.

A special $30,000 bonus mega-prize will be awarded to any grower that breaks the world record at Half Moon Bay –– considered the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs”. The current world record pumpkin is 2,624 pounds set on October 9, 2016 by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium at the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, Germany. A host of accomplished, grizzled veteran growers are expected to contend for the coveted title, the $30,000 world record prize and thousands in additional prize money. In a pay-by-the-pound system, the winner will take home a hefty $7 per pound for the champion mega-pumpkin.

WHERE: Due to the COVID pandemic, the weigh-off will not be allowing spectators/the general public to attend the event. We’ll be live-streaming the weigh-off on Facebook!

INFO-LINE: 650-726-9652

 


 

This year is Half Moon Bay’s 47th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Due to the COVID pandemic, the weigh-off will not be allowing spectators/the general public to attend the event. We’ll be live-streaming the weigh-off on Facebook!

2019 contender lifted to be weighed 

Giant pumpkin being transported by forklift to the official scale for weighing (above) and 2019 Weigh-Off winner Leonardo Urena on stage with his 2,175 lb gargantuan gourd (below)

2019 winner Leonardo Urena
2019 weigh off beautiful pumpkins
Contenders for Most Beautiful Pumpkin Award

World’s Biggest Top Prize – $7/Pound

1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $7 per pound.

World Record Mega-Prize

The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off is offering a special $30,000 mega-prize for the world record breaking pumpkin at the prestigious Half Moon Bay event. To receive the $30,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin. The current world record pumpkin is 2,624 pounds set on October 9, 2016 by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium at the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Here’s how the $30,000 breaks down: the winner receives $7 per pound plus a $10,000 bonus mega prize for a new world record plus the difference to get to $30,000. So, a 2,000-pound pumpkin would net $14,000 (2,000 pounds x $7 per pound), plus $10,000 for a new world record, plus an additional $6,000 difference to get to the $30,000 threshold.

Top Prize Money

1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $7 per pound.

Prize Money

1st Place — $7 per pound
2nd Place — $3,000
3rd Place — $2,500
4th Place — $2,000
5th–10th Place — $1,000 each
11th–20th Place — $200 each

Special Prizes

  • World Record Pumpkin — $30,000 (total)
  • Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000
  • Biggest Coastside Pumpkin (Montara to Pescadero) — $1,000
  • Most Beautiful Pumpkin — $1,000
  • Special GPC plaques and ribbons will also be awarded.

GPC Affiliation

Great Pumpkin Commonwealth siteHalf Moon Bay will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site. The GPC is the major sanctioning body overseeing Giant Pumpkin growing competitions with more than seventy weigh-off locations throughout the world. “Our relationship with the GPC gives pumpkin growers added incentive to bring their biggest to Half Moon Bay and puts us in the mix for a potential world record,” said Cameron Palmer of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. “Giant pumpkin growers bring extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm to their craft and we’re delighted to support and be part of their organization,” said Palmer.

2020 COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS:

  • Due to the COVID pandemic, the weigh-off will not be allowing spectators/the general public to attend the event. However, participating growers are allowed to have a limited number of family and assistants (max. 4 including grower). Event staff and members of the media will be the only other people allowed on-site. We’ll be live-streaming the weigh-off on Facebook!
  • The health of our participants is our top priority. We are following all safety and sanitary precautions as recommended by the CDC and San Mateo County Health Department.
  • Everyone will be required to wear a face covering during the weigh-off and adhere to proper physical distancing from others.

Weigh-Off Notes

Pumpkin Festival mascot Gourdy with Half Moon Bay High School Band
Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival mascot “Gourdy” poses with the Half Moon Bay High School Band (above) and Weigh-Off heavyweights awaiting the official scale (below)
2018 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off Heavyweights
  • The first weigh-off was held in 1974 when officials from the City of Half Moon Bay including then-Mayor Melvin Mello challenged Circleville, Ohio, which then proclaimed itself “Pumpkin Capital of the World”, to a weigh-off competition to determine the world’s biggest pumpkin.
  • John Minaidis of Half Moon Bay won the first weigh-off with a 132-pound pumpkin.
  • Prize money for the Weigh-Off is underwritten by Safeway Food & Drug.
  • Keys to growing giant pumpkins: superior seed lineage (from a previous giant), rich soil –– prepare using compost, treat with fertilizer (about every other day), profuse amounts of water (keep moist, not too dry or too soggy), mild (not extreme) temperatures (preferably around 90 daytime and 60 at night), long days with plenty of sunlight (but not direct sunlight), bury vine in the soil to promote rooting, and lots of time in the pumpkin patch “TLC” (most of the growers add to the lore with their own secrets).
  • Every Columbus Day, about 60-80 accomplished, veteran growers from Washington, Oregon, California and points east gather for the Half Moon Bay weigh-off to swap seeds, secrets and tips, hoping to capture the coveted title and the cash and notoriety that go along with it.
  • Seeds are planted in the spring (April for most growers). Seeds from a giant pumpkin are about the size of a peach pit.
  • Giant pumpkins can gain as much as 50 pounds a day, on their best day.
  • Once they’re cut from the vine, big pumpkins lose an average weight of 6-8 pounds a day.
  • Seed varietal used to grow giant pumpkins: Atlantic Giant
  • The official weighing will be conducted by the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office of Weights and Measures, using a 5-ton capacity digital scale.
  • Every fall, thousands of Bay Area residents visit the coastside to pick pumpkins from the rolling fields of orange along State Highways 1 and 92.
  • About 3,500 tons of pumpkins are grown annually by about a dozen commercial growers in the Half Moon Bay area. They ship pumpkins all over the United States and sell to many of the large retailers in the Bay Area. As always, there is a bumper crop this year.
  • The pumpkin boom can be traced back to growers in the area who began to plant pumpkins in the 1930’s. In the early 30’s, teenager John Arata and his brother Clarence began planting pumpkin seeds to to feed the family’s hogs. One day, they were hauling some of their pumpkins along Highway One back to the farm when a passing motorist stopped and asked if he could buy a few. The Arata’s sold the pumpkins for a quarter and a booming pumpkin-picking business and tourist attraction was born.
  • The current world record pumpkin is 2,624 pounds set on October 9, 2016 by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium at the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, Germany.


Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off Past Champions

2019 — Leonardo Urena, Napa CA 2,175 lbs
2018 — Steve Daletas, Pleasant Hill OR 2,170 lbs
2017 — Joel Holland, Sumner WA 2,363 lbs
2016 — Cindy Tobeck, Little Rock WA 1,910 lbs
2015 — Steve Daletas, Pleasant Hill OR 1,969 lbs
2014 — John Hawkley, Napa CA 2,058 lbs
2013 — Gary Miller, Napa CA 1,985 lbs
2012 — Thad Starr, Pleasant Hill OR 1,775 lbs
2011 — Leonardo Urena, Napa CA 1,704 lbs
2010 — Ron Root, Citrus Heights CA 1,535 lbs
2009 — Don Young, Des Moines IA 1,658 lbs
2008 — Thad Starr, Pleasant Hill OR 1,528 lbs
2007 — Thad Starr, Pleasant Hill OR 1,524 lbs
2006 — Joel Holland, Puyallup WA 1,223 lbs
2005 — Joel Holland, Puyallup WA 1,229 lbs
2004 — Joel Holland, Puyallup WA 1,229 lbs
2003 — Steve Daletas, Pleasant Hill OR 1,180 lbs
2002 — Kirk Mombert, Harrisburg OR 1,173 lbs
2001 — Steve Daletas, Pleasant Hill OR 1,016 lbs
2000 — Kirk Mombert, Harrisburg OR 940 lbs
1999 — Jon Hunt, Elk Grove CA 991 lbs
1998 — Lincoln Mettler, Eatonville WA 974 lbs
1997 — Sherry LaRue, Tenino WA 868 lbs
1996 — Kirk Mombert, Harrisburg, OR 808 lbs
1995 — Jack La Rue, Tenino WA 875 lbs
1994 — (tie) Joel Holland, Puyallup WA and Pete Glasier, Sequim WA 696 lbs
1993 — Joel Holland, Puyallup WA 740 lbs
1992 — Joel Holland, Puyallup WA 722 lbs
1991 — Cindi Glasier, Denver CO 602 lbs
1990 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 544 lbs
1989 — Mike Pezzini, Prunedale CA 530 lbs
1988 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 432 lbs
1987 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 429 lbs
1986 — Arthur Quint, Castro Valley CA 526 lbs
1985 — Arthur Quint, Castro Valley CA 438 lbs
1984 — Norm Gallagher, Cheland WA 612 lbs
1983 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 408 lbs
1982 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 307 lbs
1981 — Francis Collings, Petaluma CA 337 lbs
1980 — Tom Borchard, Salinas CA 275 lbs
1979 — Francis Collings, Petaluma VA 349 lbs
1978 — Francis Collings, Petaluma CA 298 lbs
1977 — Ray Chiesa, Half Moon Bay CA 200 lbs
1976 — John Minaidis, Half Moon Bay CA 208 lbs
1975 — John Minaidis, Half Moon Bay CA 273 lbs
1974 — John Minaidis, Half Moon Bay CA 132 lbs

 

Details

Date:
October 10th, 2022
Time:
7:00am - 11:00am
Event Category:
Website:
https://www.miramarevents.com/

Venue

IDES Hall
735 Main St
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 United States
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