Minnesota pumpkin grower Travis Gienger has done it again, winning Half Moon Bay honors Monday with a gourd that registered 2,471 pounds on the scales.
At the Safeway 51st annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, all eyes were on the Gienger gourd from the start. The grower, who also teaches horticulture, had captured the 2023 title — and set a world record — with a 2,749-pound entry he nicknamed “Michael Jordan.” And the year before, he won with a 2,560-pounder he had hauled to the California coast.
Gienger’s winner will be one of the star attractions at this weekend’s Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, with an appearance in the noontime parade. (Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants is the parade grand marshal.) Later, attendees can have their photo taken with the gargantuan gourd. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
See more photos below.
Patrick Winnen uses a wheelbarrow to move his pumpkin to be weighed during the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Brandon Dawson holds his daughter Ayla Dawson ,3, as he celebrates his second place pumpkin during the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Dawson’s pumpkin took second place in the annual contest with a weight of 2,465 pounds. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Staff members move a pumpkin grown by Travis Gienger during the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Gienger’s pumpkin won the annual contest with a weight of 2,471 pounds. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
A visitor poses for a photograph during the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Brandon Dawson, center, celebrates his second place pumpkin during the 51st Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Dawson’s pumpkin took second place in the annual contest with a weight of 2,465 pounds. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)