HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — Just think of all the pumpkin pie it could make.
Thad Starr, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., set a record at the annual pumpkin weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., with his 1,524-pound pumpkin. He’ll get $6 a pound, bringing his winnings to $9,144.
“It’s the thrill of the victory,” Starr said Monday after his pumpkin came out on top. “And it’s the fruition of a year’s work.”
About 80 contestants competed for the first-place prize, festival officials said.
Pumpkins were lowered by forklift onto a 5-ton capacity digital scale monitored by officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
The top five pumpkins at the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival will remain on display throughout the week.
The 2006 winner weighed 1,223 pounds. This year’s contest was the 34th in the event’s history.
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