Record-breaking pumpkin kicks off Night 1 at Topsfield Fair
By Mary Saladna
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TOPSFIELD, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Friday marked the 208th Topsfield Fair, with a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and smells to celebrate.
Night one, however, was all about the pumpkins.
There were 21 contenders in this year’s Giant Pumpkin contest, many of which came from master growers.
NewsCenter 5 caught up with Woody Lancaster, a master grower from Topsfield.
“This is my biggest pumpkin ever, and my last pumpkin,” he said. “This is my swan song.”
Before the judging even started, Lancaster was randomly selected for a chance to win $10,000.
The check was hidden in one of 50 envelopes.
The arena erupted in cheers when Lancaster won the big prize. But he knows the event is about more than just pumpkins.
“It’s camaraderie. We grow competitively, but we help one another. The camaraderie makes it all worth everything—it’s big. And the money’s a bonus, I’m not gonna lie,” he said.
The pumpkin growing contest has several categories the judges must consider, including symmetry, color and weight.
Tom Keenan of Swampscott took home the title of “Prettiest Pumpkin.”
“I was shocked because there are a lot of pretty pumpkins that come to this fair every year,” Keenan said.
The main event of Night One is the pumpkin weigh-in.
One of the final two pumpkins of the night belonged to Larry Masters of Nassau, New York.
His pumpkin weighed a whopping 2,220 pounds.
But Lancaster told us he believed in the greatness of his gourd.
In addition to his $10,000 win, Lancaster’s pumpkin came in at 2,598 pounds, a new Topsfield Fair record.
The fair runs from Friday, Oct. 2, through Monday, Oct. 12.
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