A Washington Court House man has officially squashed the state record for heaviest pumpkin.
Jared Persinger, of South Plymouth Pumpkins, hauled his 2,505-pound pumpkin 100 miles south to the Oct. 10 to the Operation Pumpkin Festival in Butler County for the annual festival in downtown Hamilton.
There, he claimed the title of heaviest pumpkin in Ohio, eclipsing the 2024 record-setting 2,404-pound pumpkin.
Persinger’s pumpkin, which weighed in at 101 pounds heavier than last year’s winner, will be on display at his farm throughout the weekend. It will then likely get carved to harvest the seeds, Persinger said.
“It’s a lot of work and time to grow a pumpkin over 2,000 pounds, but there’s an element of luck,” Persinger said. “I’m fairly new to this and not nearly as knowledgeable as guys that have been doing this a long time.”
Persinger, who began growing large pumpkins out of personal interest, said he still isn’t sure how his pumpkin grew so large.
“I found out I enjoyed growing pumpkins, and this just seemed like the next step into the hobby,” Persinger said.
The event also saw a site record this year when Scott Andrusz of New York weighed in a 2,518-pound pumpkin — only about 300 pounds shy of the 2,749-pound world record set in 2023 by Minnesota grower Travis Gienger. Winners at this year’s Operation Pumpkin received up to $8,500 cash prizes for their giant pumpkins.
Two years ago, Bob and Jo Liggett of Pickaway County set the Circleville Pumpkin Show record with a 2,388.5-pound pumpkin. But even with this week’s “Greatest Free Show on Earth,” which features giant pumpkins, Persinger’s remains unmatched.
“That is a big one! We do not have any of record larger than the Hamilton pumpkin,” said Valerie Goeller, treasurer of the Pumpkin Show. “Next year, we will beat it!!!”
Operation Pumpkin, a fall fixture in Butler County, marked its 14th year of its annual weigh-off with live pumpkin carving, art and food vendors, live music and a free kids’ zone.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio man squashes state’s heaviest pumpkin record
Reporting by Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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