For the second year in a row, the winner of the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest annual giant pumpkin weigh-off set a new state record.
On Oct. 4, Edwin Pierpont of Jefferson produced a 1727.5 pound pumpkin, beating Joseph Gaboury’s record, set in Damariscotta in 2014, by 32.5 pounds.
“I didn’t think it would weigh this much,” Pierpont said. “I was expecting high 1,500 or low 1,600. You just don’t know until you see the numbers on the scale.”
Pierpont previously set the state record for largest pumpkin at the 2010 Damariscotta Pumpkinfest with a pumpkin weighing 1,471 pounds.
Pierpont waited until 8 a.m. the morning of the competition to harvest his pumpkin, giving the 99-day old pumpkin as much time as possible to grow.
“I’m lucky I live so close,” Pierpont said.
Pierpont was not the only competitor in his family this year. His son, Justice, took home first place in the youth pumpkin growing competition, tipping the scales at 985.5 pounds. Justice also took second place in the adult squash competition with an entry weighing in at 927 pounds.
“I’m sure the day is going to come when he beats me,” Pierpont said.
Although he predicts his record will be broken soon, Edwin Pierpont is considering taking a year off from the competition.
“The competition’s getting pretty stiff with each year,” Pierpont said. “It takes a lot of time and space to grow one of these.”
In addition to breaking the state record, Pierpont also took home a $2,500 prize. Pierpont also took first place at the 144th Cumberland County Fair Sept. 27 with a pumpkin weighing in at 1,046 pounds.
