Cotton candy, carnival rides, games, fried everything…the NC State Fair is back. And earlier this week, they had what North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Public Information Officer Brandon Herring called “always a crowd favorite and maybe the most photographed spot on the fairgrounds during the fair” — the giant pumpkin and watermelon competition.
This year the top three pumpkin growers all had pumpkins weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Chris Rodebaugh of Lewisburg, West Virginia, placed first with a 1,461-pound pumpkin. Danny Vester of Spring Hope placed second and grew the largest North Carolina pumpkin at 1,217.5 pounds. Stephen Wright from Waynesboro, Virginia, placed third with his 1,106.5-pound pumpkin.
The winning watermelon is the third largest watermelon in the world this year and was grown by Andrew Vial of Liberty and weighed 306 pounds. Second place was Patrick VanBeck of Willow Springs, weighing in at 291.5 pounds. Third place was Christopher Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee, with a 287-pound melon.
According to fair officials, the North Carolina showing was the highest top 10 average weight of any watermelon show in the country.
“We have some impressive entries this year,” said April Blazich, horticulture superintendent. “The winning pumpkin is particularly pleasing; it is a color we call ‘sexy orange’. The giant pumpkins and watermelons always draw big crowds and this year’s fair-goers won’t be disappointed with the entries. They are all photo-worthy.”
Fair-goers can see and photograph these and other sights in the Agri Supply Expo Center in Raleigh through Oct. 23.
