Giant pumpkin goes splat in Old Town
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Video by Kim Palaferri, Auburn Journal
Pieces of orange flesh were all that remained after a 1,149-pound pumpkin was dropped on the streets of Old Town Auburn Friday. Hundreds turned out for the first ever Great Pumpkin Drop, featuring the winning pumpkin from this year’s Auburn Community Festival. The popularity of the event could summed up best by Dominic Cornell, 12, a student at Live Oak Waldorf School, who was one of the first to grab a seat for the show. “This is not something you see every day,” he said. “It’s gonna go splat.” Spectators poised their cameras for the perfect shot as grower Randy Warren’s giant gourd was hoisted 100 feet in the air by personnel from Auburn Crane. “It’s going to the top,” said 7-year-old Sadie Prawalski, watching from atop her mother’s shoulders. “It’s still going up!” Finally, Capt. John Ruffcorn of the Auburn Police Department led the countdown. “3, 2, 1 — Drop that pumpkin!” The great orb was released and fell to the ground, sending pieces of orange shrapnel into the street. “My favorite part was hearing the pop sound after the great pumpkin fell from the sky,” said 15-year-old Joshua Totaro, of Auburn. Eight-year-old Zoey Terkla claimed a souvenir chunk of the shattered pumpkin. “It’s heavy,” she said. “I’m going to make pumpkin pie!” Kyle Cunningham, 5, grabbed a considerably smaller hunk — and took a bite of it. He reported it did not taste good. But some tasty treats were available after a “piñata” pumpkin dropped earlier in the afternoon. A throng of princesses, cats, superheros and even Darth Vader rushed to the crumpled gourd for a treat. While some onlookers were hoping to snag a few seeds from the 1,149-pounder to grow their own monster pumpkin, they’ll have to be patient — Warren scraped the seeds out and will be giving them away this spring at the Journal. Warren thought it was a fitting farewell to the gourd. “It’s an awesome end to pumpkin season and an awesome end to a pumpkin,” he said. Although KAHI radio station was orginally slated to be a part of the event, it had to drop out for "legal reasons." Michelle Miller-Carl can be reached at michellem@goldcountrymedia.com.
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They should have planned it better. Rather than have a bunch of screaming kids running to the candy. I saw 3 kids bleeding and crying from kids pushing and stepping on each other. I heard one lady say my gosh they should have planned it better so that kids wouldn't get run over.
she should have not let her child run into the battle. Good times
Hey Thebigboy..oh come on where is it that everything has to be sterile and soooo safe that kids are not allowed to be kids..a few scrapes, pushing..going for candy on the street..booh hoooo to you. Overall the event went well from my vantage and both kids and adults enjoyed this event...
wow
I got a giant pumpkin seed last year from The AJ. I kept hoping the small decorative gourds that did grow would somehow turn into a giant pumpkin. Pretty gourds though. Looks like fun was had for all.
auburnative, you dare to show your moniker again?
WOW, What a waste, How many pumpkin pies could they have made out of a 1,149 lb. pumpkin??
Chuxx: That POS must use dialup.
I really hate to agree with auburnative EVER, but runstrails did your vantage happen to be up high on a roof, able to see everything, and be safe from pushing, being stepped on, and the wonderful high speed candy to the head?
glennmeadowvista
You got my curiosity going so I did a few quick searches. According to a couple of recipes You usually get two 9" pies from a "pie pumpkin", they are different from giants and carvers. The average pie pumpkin is 4-8 lbs so I figured three lbs per pie for 383 pies in a 1149 lb pumpkin.
Bigboy, maybe it's natural selection.
"WOW, What a waste, ...." -glennmeadowvista
GMV has a bunch of "fellow Americans" to feed since Bush gave all their hard earned tax dollar to the rich.
It's an outrage huh GMV? Maybe Doolittle was behind this? Did anyone spot Bush/Cheney in the crowd?
Typical GOP event huh GMV? Another example of something you will think up soon....
Somehow people should have figured out a better ending for a food source that Randy worked so hard to bring to ripeness. Teaching kids waste and violence does not seem to be a happy ending for Randy's Great Pumpkin. Let's try to come up with a more positive event for his Great Pumpkin next year like a Celebrity Chef Pie Baking Contest or a Let the Kids Paint the Jack o Lantern or Dig for Seeds and Grow Your Own Great Pumpkin Next Halloween. We need leadership in Auburn.
Ishmael: Well put
On a side note, were people not told that this would be on YouTube so we could all see?
Mike, You remind me of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, You can turn a non-political story into nasty politics, I guess its the republican way.
now why in the world did kahi "drop out" what kind of legal reasons could surround a pumpkin drop? that last sentence is the most interesting one in the article.
these kind of pumpkins are really difficult to prepare for eating - i have tried. if you want to go down that road, why grow giant pumpkins at all? all the effort, expense would produce a lot of great produce that would be far more edible and delicious than the giant pumpkins. the quest to grow a giant is all about the challange and the fun of it! (Do we complain about all gas burned during the Light Parade? What about the battery power? ) Here's an idea - instead of a drop, how about a giant pumpkin regatta? You hollow them out and paddle them down the ravine. hey how about SARSAS sponsors it???
They poss dropped out when they say who was aparently " taking over the show"
1. Keep your kids at home we need more whiny mommies boy and girls who can't function in society
2. Grow your own pumpkins and do what ever you want with them.
3. Ishmael get off the computer, plan a festival, chase a white whale, do something.
4. If you are not doing something to make it better or trying to help. Shut up nobody cares what you think.
5. Thank God there are still people who are willing to try to do things for the benefit of other.
6. Those who do, do and those don't whine anonymously on the internet.
Waste and violence? Too funny. These kinds of pumpkins don't produce much of anything that is edible.
Great idea, Jayber; a SARSAS Giant Pumpkin Regatta with the mayors of Lincoln and Auburn racing Randy's Pumpkins down the Auburn Ravine and over the Gold Hill Diversion Dam and then down the Class V Gold Hill Canyon and the Hemphill Diversion Dam and finishing at McBean Park. Could become a Giant Pumpkin white water classic. Cheerleaders from Auburn and Lincoln could be positioned at key points on the Auburn Ravine to stir up the crowds of unruly Giant Pumpkin enthusiasts.
yesssss. Ishmael - I think you are on to something!!!
May not make good pies, but I have a few chickens that would have loved the leftovers from the big splat!