2024 Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival: California growers show off massive gourds

By Leticia Ordaz

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    ELK GROVE, California (KCRA) — It looks like scenes from a fairytale. This isn’t Cinderella’s magical pumpkin carriage, but these giant gourds are the star of the show at the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival.

Organizer Jenna Brinkman calls it “the grower’s Super Bowl.”

The event was formed in Elk Grove when a couple of growers pitched the idea 30 years ago.

They asked the Cosumnes CSD if they could hold a pumpkin weigh-off locally so they didn’t have to drive so far to weigh their giant produce, Brinkman said.

The first festival started out small. The winning pumpkin was around 300 pounds, which seemed “miraculous” at the time, Brinkman said.

“With a $7,000 grand prize, the giant pumpkin weigh-off is now super competitive,” Brinkman said. “The first time we broke 2,000 pounds, we had a one-ton pumpkin. It was emotional. It was so exciting. The crowd was cheering, it was so loud. It was unbelievable to think that we had a one-ton pumpkin, and we have beat that multiple times since then.”

Grower Jonny Righetti drove from San Luis Obispo in hopes of being crowned king of the giant pumpkin weigh-off. His family didn’t just bring one gourd, they brought three.

On Saturday, he shared what it takes to compete.

“A little bit of everything,” he said. “Genetics is a good one—getting your soil dialed in. You want to test your soil and make sure all of that is as good as it can be.”

Nick Kennedy and his son Harris brought their giant pumpkin, which they named “Poppy” for the competition.

They don’t have a farm, but that didn’t stop them from growing it in their backyard in Fair Oaks.

“I think just a lot of care, a lot of time, patience, a good seed of course, and just a little bit of hard work,” Nick Kennedy said.

Gary Miller came from Napa with his gourd. He said some growers are now using the science of cannabis growing to give their pumpkins that extra edge.

“What makes a marijuana leaf grow big, tall, and fast is the same thing we use now for giant pumpkins,” Miller said.

Not all giant pumpkins are for the weigh-off.

Some will hit the water and be used as racing boats for the festival’s regatta tradition.

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