Several avid giant pumpkin growers in the City of Kawartha Lakes are once again hoping to squash the national competition.
Grown by Jane and Phil Hunt and Chris Lyons, a giant pumpkin in Cameron recently tipped the scales at 1,939.5 pounds at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest on Oct. 3. Cameron is a community 13 kilometres north of Lindsay.
The giant pumpkin is currently on display on the front yard of the Hunts’ home on Highway 35, approximately 1.5 kilometres north of Cameron.
According to Phil, their pumpkin is the largest weighed in Canada so far in 2020 with one weigh-off left to go in Wellington at the annual Prince Edward Pumpkinfest on Saturday.
Get daily Peterborough news
If successful, the Hunts will be crowned Canadian champions for the third consecutive year. Their 2019 entry was 1,814 pounds and the 2018 gourd weighed 1,959 pounds.
“The plant was started in mid-April,” said Hunt.
Hunt said that once again, carving chef Andrew Munro will carve their giant gourd just in time for Halloween. Munro carved the Hunts’ 2018 winning pumpkin.
“Andrew says he’ll surprise us. I’m sure it will be good,” Hunt tells Global News Peterborough.
Hunt says he’s encouraging people to stop at their property to get photos with their family of their pumpkin.
“We encourage people to stop by for pictures with their family, but please practise social distancing if others are there at the same time,” he said.