FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-4696

BURTON PUMPKIN SETS STATE RECORD

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Two state records fell at the inaugural Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off Sept. 29 at Bear Wallow Farm near Nancy in Pulaski County.

The runaway winner, owned by Billy Burton of Nancy, tipped the scales at 1,123 pounds, 105 pounds more than the runner-up. It was produced from 928 Van Hook seed. Burton’s entry set a new Kentucky record, besting the old standard of 1,089 pounds set by a pumpkin belonging to Frank Mudd of Flaherty in Meade County. Burton won $400, a rosette from Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, and a ribbon.

The sixth-place pumpkin, a 789-pounder submitted by Jason Gagne, set a record for a pumpkin grown in Georgia.

Burton submitted an “exhibition” pumpkin that weighed in at 1,394 pounds. It was not counted because it had damage that went to the cavity. A pumpkin must be sound with no damage that goes through to the cavity to be eligible for official placing.

In all, 14 pumpkins from Kentucky, Georgia and Indiana were entered into the weigh-off.

John Van Hook of Somerset was awarded the Howard Dill Site Award by the crowd for exhibiting the prettiest pumpkin.

In the watermelon weigh-off, Frank Mudd exhibited the heaviest of seven entries with a 171-pounder earning him a $100 cash prize.

The competition was the first in Kentucky sanctioned by Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC), the official record-keeping body of pumpkin weight statistics.

Also Saturday, a pumpkin belonging to Joe Jutras of North Scituate, R.I., weighed in at 1,689 pounds to set a world record at the Topsfield Fair GPC Weigh-off in Topsfield, Mass.

--30--