This great pumpkin is a winner

Last spring the Island Park Civic Association sponsored “The Great Pumpkin Affair,” and gave out giant pumpkin plant seedlings inviting area residents to try their hand at growing a giant pumpkin.

As the pumpkin vines grew participants commented on the size of the vine and the speed at which they took over a garden or yard.

The IPCC asked for progress reports and posted pictures of the pumpkin vines, the baby pumpkins and eventually the orange globes on its Facebook page.

A & T Garden Center and several neighborhood pumpkin growers were available for advice and consultation. Large pumpkins require a lot of water and special handling so the shell does not crack or rot.

After a summer of careful watering, feeding, watching and waiting the pumpkins were brought in to weigh and measure. The winners were Aiden and Hailey Pilch and their family who brought in a 57-inch [circumference] pumpkin raised with the help of their father Andrew.

The winners received a gift certificate from Empire Kayak in Island Park.