It’s not often you can find a world championship going on right here in the Valley.  This weekend, the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off will take place in Mahoning County.

The Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers are hosting the event on Saturday, October 14, 2003, at Parks Garden Center, 9010 Youngstown-Salem Road, Canfield at the corner of West Western Reserve Road and Route 62.

The weigh-off is set to begin at 10:00 AM and will continue until the last competitor has been weighed.

The competing gourds weigh more than a ton. Last year’s 2,493-pound winner was grown by Andy Wolf of New York.

The current Pennsylvania state record of 2,405 pounds is held by Erik Gunstrom of Harrison City, PA. The current U.S. record is 2,560 pounds held by Travis Geingers of Anoka, Minnesota.

The current world record giant pumpkin is 2,703 pounds grown in Radda Chianti in Tuscany, Italy by Stefano Cutrupi. The world-champion pumpkin was grown from a seed provided by the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers.

In 2021 & 2022, the OVGPG Weigh-Off was rated #1 in the world.

With prize money this year exceeding $20,000, contests include the heaviest giant pumpkin, watermelon, tomato, and field pumpkin along with the widest sunflower head and longest gourd categories.

The winning premium for the heaviest giant pumpkin category will be more than $5,000.

The Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth conducts more than 100 weigh-off events spanning the globe to determine the official World Champion Giant Pumpkin.