PUMPKIN SHORTAGE WON'T AFFECT ANNUAL PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF

PUMPKIN SHORTAGE WON'T AFFECT ANNUAL PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- The current pumpkin shortage isn't crushing the spirits of the folks at the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California. Spokesman Tim Beeman says even though many farmers have fewer pumpkins than usual this year, they still have a few huge whoppers to participate in the scheduled weigh-off event this Monday (Oct. 11). So far, the record for the biggest pumpkin is 974 pounds, set last year by a grower from Washington state. Beeman says early word has it that there will be at least a few 900-pounders in this year's competition -- and there may even be a record-breaker among the bunch. Organizers will weigh the gargantuan gourds by loading them onto a forklift and placing them on a 2-ton-capacity digital scale.