The Great Pumpkin is Back!

By Joan Janzen

It turns out Charlie Brown isn’t the only one who believes in the Great Pumpkin. The winners, of the 5th Annual Pumpkin Growing Competition at Leader, Sask. displayed their ‘great pumpkins’ for the judges. According to Aimee Resch, one of the organizers, the competition had more than 80 entries this year!

PHOTO: The top three winners of the 5th Annual Pumpkin Growing Competition display their pumpkins, along with more than 80 additional entries. L-R: Gary Wenzel (first place), Wayne Hittel (third place), Cathy Cocks (second place).

The weigh-in took place at the Leader Community Hall on Saturday, October 15th, followed by a dance. Gary Wenzel’s pumpkin weighed in at 141 pounds for first place. Cathy Cocks showcased her 137.4 pound entry, which came in second, and Wayne Hittel’s 137.3 pound pumpkin took third place.

“We received amazing sponsorship from our community,” Aimee said. The generous sponsorship provided prizes, which were awarded in various categories, including prettiest pumpkin, ugliest pumpkin and rookie of the year.

The pumpkin growing competition started in 2018 when a group of friends decided to try growing giant pumpkins. Each year the number of participants has increased. Now it has grown into a community wide competition, which was celebrated this year with a community dance.