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Those are some big pumpkins

If you were driving on Highway 151 in Eastern Iowa on Saturday you may have thought you were seeing things. Chances are you would see at least a couple of trucks with giant pumpkins in the back, and maybe even pulling a trailer with another one or two on board. For twenty-one years growers have been trucking their giant gourds to the Ryan Norlin Memorial Pumpkin Weigh-Off at Anamosa in Eastern Iowa.

This year’s contest drew 37 entries from around the Midwest to an official weigh site of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. Don Young of Des Moines was the big winner at the Anamosa site with his monster weighing in at 1,622 pounds. Young is no stranger to the contest having won 1st place in 2007 with a 1,662 pound offering. Don’s wife Julie won last year with a 1,354 pound offering. The world record until Saturday was 1689 pounds set in 2007. Young held second place honors in the world with his 2007 entry. Young also won the prize for the biggest watermelon, it tipped the scale at 135 pounds.

A new world champion grower was named Saturday at a  Ohio weigh in site. A Massillon, Ohio woman, Christy Harp’s entry weighed in at 1725 pounds. Young’s entry was fourth in the world in this year’s contest.

A complete listing of winners is on the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth web site at www.greatpumpkincommonwealth.com

Don Young with his winning pumpkin, Jerry Passer poses in front of the winning pumpkin

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