Spectators of all ages were pumped to watch their kin squash the competition at Starborn Farms’ giant pumpkin contest on Sept. 26. Fifteen giant pumpkins and other gourds were lined up in front of Starborn’s rustic wooden barn for everyone to admire.

The contest included. . .

junior and senior classes, as well as different awards for different kinds of squashes. Robin Judd, owner of Starborn Farms, said he wanted to host this competition because of the cancellation of the Shawville Fair, and the lack of activities that have been available to people. “The kids, they don’t have a Shawville Fair, they usually show animals or square dance, they usually have a project,” said Judd. “But this year because of social distancing and they have no outlet for them to show off their projects.”

The majority of the pumpkins were submitted by children, as projects they have been working on for several months with help from their parents. The seeds were provided by Todd Kline, an experienced giant pumpkin grower himself, who has won biggest pumpkin in Canada twice in his life.

They were planted in April and had the summer to grow. The first few giant pumpkins were lifted by four people onto a large scale in the barn. The competition got so large that heavy machinery had to be deployed to move the pumpkins around.

Fifteen giant pumpkins and squashes are lined up on Starborn Farms’ lawn for spectators to admire. There were different classes based on type of pumpkin and age of participant, and even an award for prettiest pumpkin.

The winners of the competition were:

Heaviest pumpkin senior class – Dr Keith MacLellan (688 lbs)
Heaviest squash senior class – Dr Earl Potvin (718 lbs)
Heaviest 4-H junior class – Isaac, Laura and Charlotte Graham (584 lbs)
Biggest field pumpkin – Riley Drummond (56 lbs)
Howard Dill award (prettiest pumpkin) – Reese Rusenstrom

At the end of it, the winners received “hats and a bunch of other swag,” Judd said with a smile. But he made sure that no one went home empty handed.

“The kids all did amazing and [it] shows how hard they worked all year. We made sure they all went home with something.”

Kids watch eagerly as a heavy pumpkin is brought into the barn to weigh via a crane.

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