Minn. Man’s 2,560-Pound Pumpkin Wins California Contest; Sets Record

Travis Gienger from Anoka, Minn., stands behind his winning pumpkin at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. AP Photo/Haven Daley)

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) – A horticulture teacher from Minnesota has set a new U.S. record for the heaviest pumpkin after raising a giant gourd weighing 2,560 pounds.

Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, won an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California Monday.

Gienger drove the gargantuan gourd for 35 hours to see his hard work pay off at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.