A 1,506.5-pound pumpkin grown by Danny Vester of Spring Hope set a state record at the N.C. State Fair’s Great Pumpkin and Watermelon Weigh-Off.

The big news doesn’t end there.

Andrew Vial of Liberty set a site record with his 330.5-pound watermelon. Vial is also the current state record hold for watermelon. In September, he entered a 341-pound watermelon in a competition held in Knoxville, Tenn.

Growing giant pumpkins is a feat that takes all summer. Vester pollinated his pumpkin on June 13 in a greenhouse.

“At its highest growing point, the pumpkins takes in about 300 gallons of water each day,” Vester said. This Nash County native is no stranger to setting records.

In 2018 Vester set the world record for largest cantaloupe, weighing in at 65.9 pounds.

Vester’s state record is also not the largest pumpkin on display. Dustin Trychta of Morgantown, W. Va. entered a 1,549.5-pound pumpkin, setting an N.C. State Fair site record.

Entries have been getting larger each year. So much so, that contest officials were prepared for the mammoth fruit weigh-in. Special lifting rings were commissioned that could be sized to each pumpkin, allowing the fruits to be carried by a crane to the scale. This ensured that all weights could be appropriately measured, and no one would suffer a loss due to a dropped entry.

Watermelons were carried to the scale by a team of contest officials.

This event is sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, an international organization that promotes growing giant vegetables. For this competition, pumpkins are accepted from in-state and out-of-state growers. Pumpkins and watermelons must be grown and cared for by the exhibitor, and the exhibitor must be present at the weigh-in.

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