State fair champ pumpkin destroyed by vandals
976-pound gourd and a second, bigger specimen were to be entered in worldwide competition.
Three weeks after the end of the Kansas State Fair, the largest pumpkin
in fair history is no more, smashed to pieces by vandals.
"Disgusting" is how the pumpkin's owner and grower, Brian Stanley of
Newton, describes the act that destroyed not only his prized pumpkin,
but also the even larger pumpkin his 11-year-old daughter had grown to
compete in a state weigh-off held today in Assaria. "They really
smashed them up for us," Stanley said. "We lost the two big ones we
were taking to weigh off, they were so smashed up we weren't able to do
anything with them."
Brian said the pumpkin grown by his daughter, Sierah, was well over
1,000 pounds and could have qualified as one of the top 100 biggest
pumpkins in the world this year.
The vandalism was a cruel blow to what has become a family passion -
growing the largest pumpkins possible. Family members raised three of
the top four largest pumpkins displayed at the state fair this year. In
2006, Sierah and Melia Stanley earned second- and fourth-place finishes
for their gigantic pumpkins.
Brian said the family got its start in pumpkin growing four years ago
after watching a TV show. The family had a drawing to select pumpkin
seeds - each member got to pick two - and a pumpkin patch was created
on some land across the street from their home. The first year, the
family's largest pumpkin topped out at 83 pounds. With a little
research and the help of a co-worker's giant pumpkin seeds, the next
year's pumpkins grew by several hundred pounds.
A family tradition, and obsession, was born.
"It's fun," Brian said, "because you're elbowing each other, talking
about who's going to grow the largest."
Brian said there are no big secrets to growing extremely large pumpkins
- just a lot of time caring for and watering the plants. He said it
takes a good bit of patience and a little bit of luck to grow a truly
enormous gourd - and seeing all that work destroyed is hard to
understand.
"To have someone destroy all the work we did, it kind of leaves a
little bitter taste in my mouth," Brian said. The Stanleys were able to
salvage the seeds from the larger pumpkins, and two not-quite-so-big
gourds - weighing in at 781 and 841 pounds - were left untouched,
providing ample seed stock for next year.
Last week, a new world-record pumpkin - weighing 1,689 pounds, was
weighed in by a grower in Massachusetts. That news - mixed in with the
fun the family has in the garden together - is enough to inspire the
Stanleys to try again next year.
"We're just doing what we're doing because we have fun doing it," Brian
said. "If there's a person who's interested in doing this, there's
nothing better you can do with your family."

