You can expect to see some giant pumpkins crossing county lines for the final time this weekend. Saturday’s Mishicot Pumpkin Fest marks the final weigh-in event for giant pumpkin growers like Casco’s Bill Roethle and Algoma’s Chase Romdenne. The competition marks the end of a summer of hard work to keep the pumpkin growing and to do so at the right pace so cracks and other blemishes do not appear. Romdenne is in his second year of competing for the title of biggest pumpkin. He estimates that he spent 300 hours this summer nurturing his giant pumpkins to ensure they reached their potential before picking them on Wednesday, one of which is approximately 1,400 pounds.
Roethle’s entry likely will tip the scales north of 1,700 pounds, but that is still far off from last year’s winner in Mishicot. Derek Sippel won the 2022 competition with a pumpkin that weighed 2,147 pounds. According to the Associated Press, Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, recently set a world record for his 2,748-pound pumpkin at a contest held in California.
