Jim Sherwood of Mulino, Oregon, set a new Oregon state record on Saturday at the National Pumpkin Weigh Off in Wheatland, California. His 2,613-pound giant pumpkin earned first place and the top prize of $15,000 at the competition held at Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm.
Sherwood’s pumpkin, named SpongeBlob, surpassed the previous Oregon record of 2,469 pounds set by Steve Daletas in 2018. Mike Alves of Chico, California, took second place with a 2,359-pound entry, marking the heaviest California-grown pumpkin recorded in the history of the event.
The 2026 competition featured a overall prize pool exceeding $100,000, including a $75,000 reward for any entry exceeding 3,000 pounds. The event awarded over $35,000 across the top 20 giant pumpkin entries and hosted seven additional giant vegetable categories, including long gourd, tomato, sunflower, watermelon, field pumpkin, bushel gourd, and marrow…