CEDARBURG, WI - A new record has been made for the produce books that would humble James and his giant peach, just in time for the Halloween season.
Illinois grower and factory worker Gene McMullen brought a gourd weighing over a ton to the Cedarburg Wine & Harvest Festival in Wisconsin, where officials clocked it at 2,145.5 pounds, according to Fox News.
With the previous U.S. record standing at 2,058 pounds, McMullen now holds the title for largest pumpkin in the U.S., having just fallen short of the world record by 177.5 pounds.
This still marks a huge win for the factory worker, who told the Associated Press, "I don't do anything different than any other growers do."
It is evident, however, that a lot of passion went into “not doing anything different” when viewing the reaction of the final count in the below video from weather.com.
McMullen was a return competitor, his last year’s entry weighed in at 1,600 pounds.
And while this victor may not hold the world title (yet), the post on Facebook above shows that second place is still a victory.
Congratulations, Gene, both on this sizeable achievement, and the amount of pumpkin seeds and pie you’re sure to be enjoying until Halloween does come!
