15th RR Valley Giant Pumpkin Fest is this Saturday

By Ken Johnston
Editor

While the growing season has been virtually non-existant or strange to say the least, the show must go on!
This Saturday will mark the 15th Anniversary of the Rainy River Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival.
While last year’s champ, Eltjo Wiersema, had hoped to retire at the top last year, no one stepped forward to take over organizing the event. So he donned the white hat one more time and hopes that after this year someone else will want the job.
The family fun-filled event will begin at the Rainy River arena this Saturday at 10 a.m. with registration of pumpkins. They will continue until 1 p.m. after which the weighins and judging will begin. Once all the pumpkins are weighed a champion will be crowned, receive $1,000 and the coveted Golden Hoe Award!
Last year Wiersema won it with a 467 lb. pumpkin. By the event’s early years standards that would have been record setting, but by the latter years about half of what was need to win. In 2006 Ben Johnson of Kakabeka Falls, Ont. broke the event’s previous record with a 1,173 lb. gargantuan! That same year Don Cronk of Thunder Bay, Ont. weighed a 1,032 lbs. pumpkin and Johnson had another one weighing 960 lbs.
Wieresema said that while the growing season has been pretty bad this year he said any size can win. “The first year we had 198 lbs. So anyone could win this year!”
A couple of years ago they also added more prize categories including $50 for the pumpkins closest to 100 lbs. and 200 lbs. $75 for the one closest to 300 lb.s and $100 for the ones closest to 400 lbs. and 500 lbs.
There are also prizes for the heaviest pumpkin grown by a Junior Grower (child of elementary school age). Other prizes include Rookie of the year, Ugliest Pumpkin, Most Attractive Pumpkin, Best Decorated Pumpkin, Oddest Overall Vegetable, Distance Award, Pumpkin Pie/Dessert contest and guess the weight of the giant pumpkin contest.
Other activities including a pumpkin seed spitting contest, kids activities, a potluck lunch, a harvest display and a special farmers’ market will also be held at the arena.
The public is invited to come and see the pumpkins and participate in some or all of the events.