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Plumpest pumpkin: 2,058-pound gourd sets record
By Associated Press
Published: Oct 13, 2014 at 1:49 PM PDT Last Updated: Oct 13, 2014 at 2:27 PM PDT


HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) - A pumpkin weighing 2,058 pounds has taken first prize and set a tournament record at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California.

Fifty-six-year-old John Hawkley was crowned the victor Monday.

Tim Beeman, a spokesman for the weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, says Hawkley "squashed" his competition, beating the runner-up by more than 300 pounds.

Hawkley grew the winning pumpkin in California's Napa Valley, which is famous for its wine grapes. He says he will use the $13,000 in prize money to make repairs on his home, which was damaged during a strong earthquake in the Napa area in August.

Hawkley credited his success at least in part to warm weather. He ended up with a total of six pumpkins, another one of which also weighed more than 2,000 pounds.