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Published online 10/6/2007 12:13 AM

State fair champ pumpkin destroyed by vandals

976-pound gourd and a second, bigger specimen were to be entered in worldwide competition.

By Dave Stephens - The Hutchinson News - dstephens@hutchnews.com

Three weeks after the end of the Kansas State Fair, the largest pumpkin

in fair history is no more, smashed to pieces by vandals.

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"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."