The record existed until 1976 when Bob Ford of Coatesville, Pennsylvania,
USA exhibited a 451 pound specimen at the U.S. Pumpkin Contest in Churchville,
PA. Yearly International Competition was revived again in 1979 when Canadian
Howard Dill of Windsor, Nova Scotia won his first of four consecutive
international pumpkinship titles at the Cornell Contest in Pennsylvania. Mr.
Dill’s first world record of 459 pounds came in 1980 which he supassed in 1981
by harvesting a 493.5 pound pumpkin.
In 1984 American grower Norman Gallagher of Chelan, Washington set a new
world mark of 612 pounds at the second annual World Pumpkin Confederation
Weigh-Off.
In 1986, Bob Gancarz of Wrightstown, New Jersey entered an astonishing 671
pound pumpkin at the WPC Weigh-Off Capitol in Collins, New York. Leonard
Stellpflug broke the world record in the squash class in 1988 when he grew a
653.5 pounder. In 1989, three specimens broke the 700 pound barrier while
GordonThomson of Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada won the day and the World Record
at the WPC Weigh-Off in Collins, with his 755 pound pumpkin. In the squash
class, Leonard Stellpflug broke his own record to reestablish the World Record
title with a 743 pound specimen. In the 1990 contest, Ed Gancarz has a pumpkin
specimen weighing in at 816.5 pounds, while Len Stellpflug had an 807 pound
squash. Stellpflug, earlier in the season grew a 821 pound world record making
him the first ever to grow two 800 pound specimens in a single year. The 300
pound watermelon is still elusive although Waddell Estep entered a 245 pounder.
Ray Waterman, the WPC President, entered a 99 inch world record long gourd. In
1991 more growers entered the 700 lb. club with all five being entered at
Collins. Ray Waterman and