Thunder Bay Grower Wins Contest with Huge Pumpkin
It took him some 4 years to do it, but after plenty of hard work, Ben Johnson finally shattered his own personal record for the heaviest pumpkin.
Johnson, a grower from Thunder Bay, Ontario, won top prize for the heaviest pumpkin at the 4th annual Pumpkinfest, which was held on Saturday at the Murillo fair grounds. A total of 36 pumpkin entries were weighed by judges, with Johnson’s 1217-pound pumpkin winning first place, along with a check of $1,000 for the grower. Not only was the winning entry a new personal best for Johnson, it also broke the existing record in all of northwestern Ontario.
Johnson commented that he’s always strived to beat his previous record, and now that he has, he’s just basking in the glow of satisfaction for growing something that huge, and of course, winning a bit of money on the side.
The Thunder Bay grower is now on a two-year winning streak after winning last year’s Pumpkinfest with a 786-pound pumpkin. According to Johnson, the exceptional size of his pumpkin this year was due to the fact that the season was considerably warmer compared to the last. Warmer weather is a crucial factor in growing bigger and heavier pumpkins, he said.
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