Oh, my gourd! Largest in Ridgefield Pumpkin Weigh-off history tips scales at more than two thousand pounds!
Spearheaded by Ridgefielders Jess Collins and Steve Maydan, yesterday’s Ridgefield’s Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off was a HUGE success!
What you need to know: Maydan is a longtime pumpkin grower and Collins happens to be his neighbor and longtime admirer of his orange beauties! BAM. A community match made in pumpkin paradise!
The duo brought the event to Ridgefield a decade ago and had big dreams for the Weigh-off. Collins says, “11 years ago when we started this event, we dreamed of what it could be and we are so happy with what it has grown into!”
2023 was indeed the biggest (in many ways!) Rhode Island pumpkin grower Steve Sperry took the top prize and earned acclaim for making Weigh-off history with his beauty that tipped the scales at a whopping 2,154 pounds! The photo you see here (courtesy Jess Collins) includes all of the growers who gathered to celebrate the largest pumpkin in weigh-off history!
Coming in at #2 with a 1,530.5-pound pumpkin was Tony Ciliberto from Pennsylvania.
Ridgefield's own, Steve Maydan (shown in image #2) took 1st place and set a new CT state record in the long gourd category as well as winning the Howard Dill award for prettiest pumpkin (Howard Dill winner is selected by all the growers at the event).
This fall-favorite event was made possible by the generous support of sponsors including Presenting Sponsor, the Connecticut Giant Pumpkin Growers Club.
“Thank you to everyone who made today possible…growers, sponsors, forklift driver, scale company, backhoe pumpkin lifter, vendors, farm stands, high school clubs, food trucks, musicians, volunteers, pumpkin carver, emcee, those who decorated pumpkins, and our community who joined us in the park today. Every one of you made today incredible. On behalf of the pumpkin weigh-off committee, thank you! It means so much to us that you all love giant pumpkins as much as we do!” remarked Maydan and Collins.