Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off
(Great Pumpkin Commonwealth - GPC Sanctioned Weigh-Off Site)
Todd & Donna Skinner set a new "Ohio State" & "Barnesville Pumpkin Festival" site record!!!
The 2017 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off was a remarkably dramatic event. With only a few minutes remaining in the weigh-off event, Todd and Donna Skinner from Barnesville, Ohio "tipped the scales" with their record setting 2150 lbs. "King Pumpkin" and "cashed in" over $4,400 in cash and prizes.
The "Shot Heard Around the Pumpkin World"!!!
Todd & Donna Skinner of Barnesville, Ohio breaks the Ohio State Record with their 2150 lbs. "Monster" Pumpkin!!! Click Here to see the video of the Skinner's 2150 lbs. Ohio State Record "Giant Pumpkin" being weighed in at the 2017 Barnesville Ohio Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off.
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off raises prize money to pay $2.00 per pound!!!
In an effort to give back to the giant pumpkin growing community for their time and money spent in the pumpkin patch, the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off will now pay $2.00 per pound for the 2023 "King Pumpkin" (1st place prize).
So, if you want to take this years BIG CASH $$$ Prize, start planning for our weigh-off event now.
Click here for Official Prize List
Year 2023 - Event Details
The 2023 weigh-off will be held in Barnesville, Ohio on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 between 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST.
Click here for Official Entry Form
Click here for Official Rules & Regulations
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Weigh-Off Contact Information:
Tim Miller - 740-238-0493
mothmiller@hotmail.com
"Record Setting" Year 2017
CONGRATULATIONS TODD & DONNA SKINNER FOR AN INCREDIBLE YEAR OF GROWING PUMPKINS AND ACHIEVING WORLDWIDE FAME!
By: Susan Lapham
It was a near perfect growing year for Barnesville residents, Todd & Donna Skinner. Smashing three records here in Ohio and achieving global recognition put this couple in the state and world limelight!
The Skinner's earned the title of 2017 World Wide Great Pumpkin Commonwealth Grower of the Year! The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) is a world-wide organization of pumpkin growers which holds weigh-offs all around the world searching for the biggest pumpkins ever grown. Thousands of pumpkin growers strive to grow not only the largest pumpkin, but to raise three pumpkins with the heaviest combined weight. Todd and Donna raised and entered (and won and set records) pumpkins at three different GPC weigh-off sites here in Ohio in 2017 with a combined total weight of 5,883.5 pounds.
Their trifecta year began in early August of 2017 when the Skinner's took the smallest of their growing pumpkins to the Ohio State Fair. Not only was it the Champion pumpkin weighing in at 1,621.5 pounds, but it also beat the previous Ohio State Fair record by a whopping 565-1/2 pounds.
Fast forward to September 20, 2017 at 8:59pm. Todd Skinner & family finally pull up to the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival weigh-off just before the cutoff time. The crowd of several hundred had already witnessed two 1500+ pound pumpkins weighing in. However, this hometown crowd had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Todd & Donna who had won the King Pumpkin title six times previously. Their pumpkin was carefully hoisted off the trailer and onto the scale. The anticipation and excitement was steadily building as Tim Miller ever so slowly unveiled each number on the electronic scale digit by digit to divulge the record setting weight of 2,150 pounds! It not only smashed Barnesville's previous King Pumpkin record of 1,739 pounds, but broke the state of Ohio record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown in this great state.
October rolled around and, once again, the Skinners snip the vine on another giant and hauled it to Dublin, Ohio to the National Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Oakland Nursery. It was in Dublin, where their pumpkin weighing in at an incredible 2,112 pounds, took yet another championship trophy and set another record at that site. Thus, completing the trifecta for Todd and Donna!
It takes a huge amount of effort and dedication to grow champion giant pumpkins. According to Skinner, they spend approximately 40 hours per week for six months. It starts with good genetic seeds, a little chemical engineering trying to balance the proper nutrients, a good fertilizing program, shelter and shade from the elements, lots of time, patience and TLC. That is quite a commitment. The current world record pumpkin was grown in 2016 in Belgium and weighed 2,624.6 lbs. According to Skinner, that record will be hard to beat since it was grown in a greenhouse, which contributes greatly to ensuring the pumpkin puts on the pounds.
We are so very proud to have these noteworthy pumpkins grown right here in the center of Barnesville and even more proud of Todd and Donna Skinner, a truly wonderful couple that display all of our hometown values. CONGRATULATIONS TODD AND DONNA!
