Carman’s pumpkin, dubbed heaviest in Roland at the annual weigh-in, topped the scale at a whopping 1,539 pounds — roughly the weight of a full-grown bull moose.
The weigh-off started at 10:30 a.m. with 27 giant pumpkin entries. And the defending champion Jason Terwin of Carman took home his third straight title with his winning gargantuan jack-o’-lantern gourd.
Terwin is happy to share his growing tips and notes that for anyone looking to grow gigantic pumpkins, get a soil test and prepare your soil as best you can.
“Get some good genetics seeds, fertilize and water,” said Jason Terwin. “Get tips from other growers and ask questions. There’s usually a Growers Seminar and Patch Tour in the spring and summer. But it comes down to spending a lot of time in the garden and a lot of luck.”
From a seed the size of a dime, Terwin starts them in the house around April 20 and has them in their little garden shelters by the first week of May.
“It’s a great hobby to be outside in the garden,” said Terwin. “You never know what shows up at the Roland Pumpkin Fair. I was hoping for the Manitoba record set by Cornie Banman at 1,660.5 lbs in 2019. But the Banman’s always have some good ones. And I knew Charlie Bernstrom had a near 2,000 pounder coming in.”
However, Bernstrom had some unfortunate news: he found a crack under his pumpkin when he lifted it up on Friday before the fair, making it not eligible to win.
“So no, I didn’t expect to win heaviest pumpkin for the third consecutive year. It was a great surprise. Now I have to start for next year preparation.”
“Following the Harvest Supper, the Pumpkin Drop was a huge smash,” said organizer Derek Baschuk. “This was the second year of the drop and was a crowd favourite both last year and this year. And this year, a splash was added as it was dropped into a large pool of water.”
A big thank you goes out to all of the volunteers who helped make the Roland Pumpkin Fair a success.
“It was a great day,” said organizer Lisa Pinkerton. “We were glad the rain finally stopped. The fairgrounds were pretty muddy but at least we had good weather. We held our second annual giant pumpkin drop to end the day, and we dropped one of the giants that were weighed in the morning into a swimming pool this year.”
Top Growers of the Fair:
Pumpkin
First $1,500 – Jason Terwin – Carman – 1,539 pounds
Second $1,000 – Cornie Banman – RM of Stanley – 1,496.5
Third $500 – Marlene Terwin – Carman – 1,299
Fourth $200 – Art Cameron – Roland – 1,178
Fifth $100 – Emilio Lassnig, RM of Stanley – 1,156.5
Sixth – $100 – Zac Anseeuw – Oak Bluff – 1,114
Seventh – $100 – Helen Banan – RM of Stanley – 1,107.5
Eighth – $100 – Julianne Zoppa, Oak Bluff – 1,094
Ninth – $100 – Henry Banman – Schanzenfeld – 1,061.5
Tenth $100 – Doug Whitehead – Roland – 1,009
Tomato
Jason Terwin – Carman – 2.11 pounds
Watermelon
Cornie Banman – RM of Stanley – 92 pounds
Squash
Henry Banman – Schanzenfeld – 1,229 pounds
