Wendy Dunn, left, of Torrance, gives her husband, Chris Dunn a hug after his pumpkin came in at 1241 pounds during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Brad Bledsoe of Fort Collins, Colorado, stands on his winning 1955 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Bledsoe’s winning pumpkin weight is a new Colorado state record. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dayton Jones of Lake Forest polishes, Carson, the giant pumpkin grown by her mother, Janet O’Faolain, at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wendy Dunn of Torrance shows off her shirt as she watches the weighing of the pumpkins during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bill Trautwein of Santa Barbara is happy with weight of his 1486 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mackenzie and Vince Zaccaro of Lake Forest pose with giant pumpkins for their mother, Rebecca Zaccaro, left, at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The crowd watches the weighing of the pumpkins during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kevin Donahue, left, of Mission Viejo congratulates Brad Bledsoe of Fort Collins, Colorado with his winning 1955 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Bledsoe’s winning pumpkin weight is a new Colorado state record. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A forklift carries a pumpkin to the scale during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The list of the top pumpkins at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mark Imhoff of Irvine is happy with weight of his 115 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Katherine Anderson, left, takes a photo of her mother, Marion Anderson of Tustin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kevin Donahue of Mission Viejo reacts to the weight of his 1419 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A few of the giant pumpkins at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
As master of ceremonies Denis Arsenault, left, listens, Robin Dunforrd, 6, of Riverside talks about her 36 pound pumpkin at Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers carry a smaller pumpkin to the scale during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1 of 16
Wendy Dunn, left, of Torrance, gives her husband, Chris Dunn a hug after his pumpkin came in at 1241 pounds during Irvine Park Railroad’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off held at Irvine Regional Park in Orange on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The competition at the annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Irvine Park Railroad was massive this year.
And not just because of the voluminous gourds tipping the scales toward the unbelievable – there were about 30 entries this year.
After tending to their pumpkins for months, these farmers brought their prized entries on Saturday for weighing, requiring forklifts to move them into position.
Brad Bledsoe, who brought his entry from Colorado, won with a 1,955 pound gourd. Orange County’s own Kevin Matter of Mission Viejo won third with a 1,479 pound entry.
The competition is legit – it is an official contest of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth.
The annual event is part of the Irvine Park Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch, which opened for the season on Sept. 14 and will be hosting families through Halloween. The patch, nestled in the heart of Irvine Regional Park in Orange, is open daily – weather permitting – and features train and hay rides, John Deere races, games and crafts, a hay maze and photo opportunities as well visiting the pumpkin patch. Admission is free, but main of the activities require tickets.
