Kakabeka man wins RR Pumpkin Festival with 902 pound giant

By Ken Johnston
Editor

While he did not break his record set last year, the champion from the 2006 RR Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival repeated as champion this year with a 902 pound pumpkin.
Ben Johnson of Kakabeka Falls, Ontario was crowned for the third time in the thirteen year history of the event and took home $1,000 and the Golden Hoe Award for his efforts. At 902 lbs. it was below his 1,173 lbs. winner last year and his 960 lbs. third place finish last year.
Johnson said that he attributes the smaller giant to the weather conditions this year. “We had cooler than normal nights in August this year. That really slowed things down.”
Johnson nearly lost his prize winning pumpkin in July when the end began to split. “I gave it too much water too fast and then we had a big downpour of rain and intense heat,” he explained. Using a fungicide paste and backing off the watering until it healed, he nursed the champion back into contention. Once it healed he brought the watering back up to speed. “At its peak I was giving my two plants 45 gallons of water per day.”
He left another pumpkin back home on the second plant. This coming weekend they will have their own giant pumpkin festival in Thunder Bay where he will enter that one as well.
As for last year’s second place finisher and former champion from Thunder Bay, Don Cronk, Johnson said that he had a 700+ pound pumpkin grown from last year’s champion’s seeds. But it split wide open on him. “He does have another one growing but he is saving it for our festival,” said Johnson.
Coming in second and third this year was rookie grower Dale Hughes of Devlin, Ont. His 632 lbs. and 452 lbs. pumpkins earned him $500 and $100 respectively. He also received the rookie of the year award; the Silver Watering Can and the Hidden Weight (451 lbs.) $100.
The top junior grower this year was Serena Godin. Her 445 lbs. pumpkin earned her $100. Her sister Kenzie was second with a 443 lbs. ($50) and third was Kyle Olson at 402 lbs. ($25).
The pumpkins nearest to awards:
100 lbs.-Jaden/Branden Gustafson & Ron Lemmon ($50 prize)
200 lbs.-Carla Armstrong ($50)
300 lbs.-Dorothy Wiersema ($75)
400 lbs.-Kyle Olson ($100)
500 lbs.-Dale Hughes ($100)
Ugliest Pumpkin-Kenzie Godin
Most Attractive Pumpkin-Cliff McLain
Best Decorated Pumpkins-Chalina Abraham (1st) and Jared Vandenbrand (2nd)
Oddest overall vegetables-Tyler Lundgren (1st) and Olga Sirman (2nd).
Distance Award-Cliff McLean of Stanley, Ont.
Best Pumpkin Dessert-Dorothy Wiersema
Best Pumpkin Pie-Dorothy Wiersema
Best Vegetable Display-Marion Haddock
Guess the Pumpkin’s Weight-Amber Winik (279 lbs.-$75)
Pumpkin Seed Spitting Contest:
Child-Branden Gustafson (13’4”)
Youth-Kyle Olson (15’)
Adult-Tom Shumaker (22’11”)
Best Sculptured Vegetable-Aarron Armstrong