Gienger would've won a grand prize of $30,000 if his pumpkin broke the current world record set by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium and his 2,624-pound pumpkin grown in 2016. It was crowned the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, Germany.
The Half Moon Bay event is part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) sanctioning body with more than 70 weigh-off competitions around the world.
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| Travis Gienger celebrating with the giant gourd he named 'Tiger King.' |
"Our relationship with the GPC gives pumpkin growers added incentive to bring their biggest to Half Moon Bay and puts us in the mix for a potential world record," said Cameron Palmer of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off.
Annually, around 3,500 tons of pumpkins are grown in the Half Moon Bay region.
The man with the golden green thumb is from the Halloween Capital of the World. He nicknamed his 1,065.9-kg pumpkin "Tiger King."
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| Workers use a forklift to move a large pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
The 35-hour drive from Anoka, Minn., to Half Moon Bay, Calif., was a smashing success for Travis Gienger when his massive pumpkin won the 47th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
To enter the contest, Gienger had to focus on one key aspect — making sure the 2,350-lb (1065.9-kg) pumpkin didn't smash on its way.
"It was actually kind of stressful because if it cracks at all, you get nothing," Geinger said. "You're completely disqualified. So every bump, every turn, you're kind of white-knuckling it, so to speak."
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| Water jugs hang from the stem of a large pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Oct. 12, 2020, in Half Moon Bay, Calif. A large gourd can lose 6-8 pounds of weight after being cut from the vine if it doesn't continue to receive water. |
The grand prize for that cautious driving? A grand total of US $16,450, or $7 a pound.
The Safeway event bills itself as the "Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs" and draws contestants from around the world. The winning gourd earns the title of heaviest pumpkin weighed in North America.
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| Although not open to the general public at the event, a few special spectators wear pumpkin-themed pants during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
To guarantee his giant gourd made it to California intact, Geinger wrapped the pumpkin — which he named Tiger King, after the Netflix documentary series — in tarps and made sure they remained wet throughout the journey.
"On the way there, people were wondering why, [at] every gas station, we were wetting the blankets down. They're like, 'Are you transporting a dolphin?'" he said.
"On the way back, it was completely wide open for everyone to see. And we had written on the trailer, 'North America's largest pumpkin.'"
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| A dog sits in front of large pumpkins during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Oct. 12, 2020, in Half Moon Bay, California. |
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| Judges measure a large pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
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| Workers use a forklift to move a large pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
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| Workers use a forklift to move a large pumpkin, while a toy tiger rests atop the winning pumpkin. |
It was a fitting victory for the resident of a town that calls itself the
Halloween Capital of the World. The appreciation was evident when he returned.
"I pulled into my place and I had big signs and gift certificates from the hardware store and the local grocery store," he said.
"I just kind of knew what it needed from years prior and just gave it a little bit everything," he said, describing how he fertilized the soil with a seaweed kelp mixture and potassium, but didn't test the soil or tissue.
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| Workers inspect the underside of a large pumpkin before placing it on a scale during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
While Gienger has the heaviest pumpkin weighed in North America this year, the all-time record for heaviest pumpkin in the U.S. was set in 2018 by a 2,500-lb gourd from New Hampshire. The heaviest pumpkin in the world record was set by a 2,624.6-lb pumpkin from Belgium in 2016,
according to Guinness World Records.
But Tiger King's journey doesn't end with the victory. Gienger has big plans to turn it into a Jack-o-Lantern.
"We will be making a big tiger because it was nicknamed Tiger King. So it'll be all relief-carved and look like real fur," he said.
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| Travis Gienger, left, and Steve Daletas, right, stand next to their large pumpkins during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Gienger, a farmer from Anoka, Minn., won the annual Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with his 2,350-pound pumpkin. Gienger won $7 per pound for a total of $16,450. |
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| A 2,350-pound pumpkin belonging to Travis Gienger sits on the scale during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Gienger won the annual Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. |
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| Travis Gienger raises his arms next to his 2,350-pound pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on October 12, 2020 in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Gienger, a farmer from Anoka, Minn., won the annual pumpkin weigh-off. |
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Travis Gienger stands next to his 2,350-pound pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
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| Transporting the giant pumpkin from Anoka, Minn., to Half Moon Bay, Calif., was a 35-hour drive. |
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There are plenty of Halloween activities to choose from if you happen to visit Anoka, Minnesota.
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Anoka, Minnesota largest pumpkin contest has some huge entrants, but no giants like 'Tiger King.'
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A worker touches the stem of a large pumpkin during the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Oct. 12, 2020, in Half Moon Bay, Calif.
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