Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Epoch Times Pumpkinmania! Article
Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!
Mr. Albert Roman, the journalist for The Epoch Times that covered this year's Pumpkinmania! event e-mailed me the link to his article. It's excellent and I think captures the spirit and flavor of Pumpkinmania! in a very accurate way:

Happy reading!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

















All photos courtesy of Ty Hall


More Images from Pumpkinmania!



Good morning, Pumpkinistas!


These are some pictures that Ty Hall, of Kellogg Garden Products, judge, sponsor, and senior lifting crew team member e-mailed me of this year's event! They're great since Ty captured all of the growers and the prize ceremony.


Thank you very much, Ty!

The 2009 Pumpkinmania!
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off & Contest
Winner in Repose
Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

This year's 903 pound winning pumpkin, grown by Michelle Lofthouse is resting next to an oak tree in her front yard. Part of the prize money will go toward replacing a blown head gasket in the tractor can see in the background, which was damaged moving this year's winner!

Congratulations again on a great victory, Michelle!

Monday, October 26, 2009






The second grower to enter Sunday morning, John Guaydacan























































Ron Hlavac of The Orange County Blacksmiths Guild takes a breather.









It wasn't hard, back-breaking work the whole time.


Pumpkinistas celebrate the spirit and fun of Pumpkinmania!



Akili Arnold




Brian Gould



Wendy Taylor



John Guaydacan



Martha Treadway



Linda Hales




Elenore Lepe




Chuck and Joan McClain




Christy Concan




Mark Imhoof




Stacey Taylor





Gary Williams & Family





Mayson Gilmore




Stuart Shim




Gracie Gilmore




Ken Smith



Allison Van Wingerden


Talia Van Wingerden



Mae Powell




Alfonso & Katharine Lepe



Walter Van Wingerden




Warner Prodan




Mike Gray



Carol Slagle



Michelle Lofthouse Recaptures The 2009 Pumpinmania!

Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off & Contest Crown with a 903 Pound Effort!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!


The question on the minds of all the Pumpkinmania! grower/participants yesterday was: "Will Michelle Lofthouse be back in 2009?" The answer was a resounding yes, as Michelle Lofthouse regained the title of this year's Pumpkinmania! champion with a 903-pound effort! Carol Slagle with a 559 pounder, Mike Gray with a 517.5 pounder, Warner Prodan with a 419.5 pounder, and Walter Van Wingerden at 384.5 pounds rounded out the top five finishers.

Here are the results of the other prize categories:


Best Color: Gary Williams, 190 lbs., "Ginger"
Funniest Shape: Brian Gould, 45 lbs.
Ugliest Pumpkin: Akili Arnold, 17 lbs.
Best Shape: Mike Gray, 517.5 lbs.
Judges' Favorite: John Guaydacan, 77 lbs.
Most Experienced Grower: Mae Powell, 286.5 lbs.
Youngest Grower: Mayson Gilmore, 205.5 lbs.
Best Costume: Martha Treadway, 100.5 lbs.
The winning estimate for Guess The Weight of The Three Heaviest Pumpkins was 2,000 pounds, and the correct answer was 1.979 lbs.
The 2009 Pumkinmania! prizes and sponsors:
Gardner & Bloome of Kellogg Garden Products

First place Heaviest Pumpkin: $1,000.00

Second place Heaviest Pumpkin: $500.00

Third place Heaviest Pumpkin: $300.00

Best Color: $50.00 Gift certificate from Laguna Hills Nursery

Funniest Shape: $50.00 Gift certificate from Walter Andersen Nursery

Ugliest Pumpkin: $60.00 Gift certificate from Batavia Garden Nursery

Best Shape: $50.00 Gift certificate from Yamagami’s Nursery

Judges’ Favorite: $50.00 Gift certificate from Island View Nursery

Best Costume: $100.00 Gift certificate from Orange County Farm Supply

Most Experienced Grower: $25.00 Gift card from Starbucks, courtesy of The Epoch Times, and $25.00 Gift certificate from Cedros Gardens

Youngest Grower: $50.00 Gift certificate from Cedros Gardens

Winner of the Guess the Weight of the Three Largest Pumpkins:
$25.00 Gift certificate from Laguna Hills Nursery and $25.00 Gift certificate from Cedros Gardens
Prizes were also awarded in the following categories:

4th-12th Heaviest Pumpkins: 1 Quart Bottle of Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Blend Organic Fertilizer, 1 Heated Seedling Mat from HydroFarm

13th-20th Heaviest Pumpkins: 1 Watering Meter from HydroFarm
We would like to thank the following companies for their generous support and participation:

Gardner & Bloome of Kellogg Garden Products
Crainco Crane Services
Dr. Earth
Neptune’s Harvest
HydroFarm
HB-101
U-Haul
Roadkyll Apparel Graphics
Batavia Gardens
Cedros Gardens
Island View Nursery
Laguna Hills Nursery
Orange County Farm Supply
Walter Andersen Nursey
Yamagami’s Nursery
The Epoch Times
New Tang Dynasty Television
The Orange County Blacksmiths Guild
The Heritage Museum of Orange County
GardenLive Radio
The University of California Cooperative Extension Certified Master Gardeners
We would like to recognize and thank the following individuals for their strong backs, very generous help and participation:
Ty Hall
Brian Smith
Mark Imhoof
Brian Gould
Ron Sallinger
Casey T. Shim
Jessie Chen
Lauren Shim
Phil Concan
Christy Concan
Partrick Strock
Stanley Szymczyk
Jessie Chen
Casey N.E. Shim
Greg Thiel
Milo Shammas
Nobo Azuma
Ron Kanemoto
Carolyn Villa-Scott
Chris Roy
Mia McCarville
David Ross
Katie Sorensen
Ron Hamada
Gary Matsuoka
Sharon Asakawa
John Bagnasco
Adam England
Alice Su
Albert Roman
Sharon Stolen