Last year’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off champion’s squash weighed a whopping 1,708 pounds, still about 50 pounds shy of the Irvine Park Railroad event’s 2019 record.
But this year, Kevin Donahue thinks he’ll not only be able to smash the local contest but the state’s record for the largest pumpkin grown in California as well.
Donahue, a Mission Viejo resident and two-time first-place Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off winner, hopes to have a “gourd” chance at achieving his goal with this year’s 9th annual competition in Orange.
“Every year, there is an opportunity to do better than you did before,” Donahue said. “More than that, there is a camaraderie that I have with the other growers. We’re always trying to help each other do better.”
Before the pumpkin even sprouts, Donahue spends two hours a day taking proper care of the plant, then still a vine. He waters, trims and inspects the plant to make sure it’s growing properly. After the fruit has started to develop, there is risk of disease, cracking and even mice getting to the plant.
Given his relatively small yard — at least, comparatively — Donahue can only grow one or two giant pumpkins at a time. This year, he’s got his competition squash and a “small” 400-pound pumpkin.
Typically, Donahue takes his giant pumpkins out of his small backyard using a palette jack. This year’s squash, though, was too large for his usual method.
So Friday morning, Sept. 20, a crane showed up to his neighborhood, hoisting the gourd out of Donahue’s backyard, over his home and onto a flatbed truck. He’s hoping that behemothic squash will beat the state record of 1,530.5 pounds, held by Gary Miller.
Donahue has participated in the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off nearly every year with the pumpkins grown in his backyard after being inspired by his daughter, who 13 years ago wanted to grow their own cucumbers to make pickles. After growing a whopping 322-pound pumpkin in his first season, Donahue was hooked.
Despite the title of the contest, some growers enter gourds, squash, watermelons and even tomatoes into the event’s other categories. There are other, non-size-related recognitions, too, like prettiest pumpkin, new grower of the year and the youngest grower.
This year, there will be about six children under the age of 12 who will be participating.
“It’s exciting to see people coming together and cultivating a family fun environment that also encourages young children to grow by themselves or are growing with grandpa,” said Devan Matthews, the marketing specialist for Irvine Park Railroad.
According to Donahue, he first competed at Tanaka Farms, which was not an official contest. Through a mutual connection, the Irvine Park Railroad offered to host a sanctioned contest that followed the rules set by the Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth, an international organization. From then, the contest sprouted in 2016 and has had the community coming back every year.
At Saturday’s weigh-off, there are expected to be about 30 entries, the most the park has had in its history.
The first-place winner will receive a prize of $3,500. Growers who place in the top 10 and winners of the special categories will also receive cash prizes, along with bragging rights.
“In Orange County, we are such a suburban community, and we don’t have much agriculture to speak of other than a few strawberry farms and citrus groves in the outskirts,” Donahue said. “The Great-Pumpkin Weigh-off is a throwback to a different time and I think it’s fun that we got people interested.”
Spectators can watch the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Irvine Park Railroad (1 Irvine Park Rd. in Orange). Admission is free for all, but parking is $5 per vehicle.
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