Lancaster grower's 2,501-pound pumpkin wins at Stillwater Harvest Fest
Charlie Bernstrom of Lancaster took home the largest pumpkin at the Stillwater Harvest Festival in Minnesota, weighing in at 2,501 pounds. His three daughters help with the giant, which grew as much as 63 pounds a day.
Thousands of people made an autumn trip to the St. Croix River for the Stillwater Harvest Festival in Minnesota, a two-day event with vendors, live music and children's activities. But the main attraction is pumpkins.
The festival began as a one-day pumpkin weigh-off and still centres on the giant gourds, with events such as a river regatta and a pumpkin drop. "You're just like holy cow, they really just are as big as cars. You can climb in them," said event coordinator Cassie Mclemore.
This year the biggest pumpkin belonged to Charlie Bernstrom of Lancaster. It came in at 2,501 pounds. "It's 117 days old, and it grew 63 pounds a day for a while, here we are," Bernstrom said.
Growing it has become a family project. "We have three girls that like to come down and help. It's kind of turned into a family affair," he said. "We have fun with it, they take pictures of it all the time, and name them. You have to have fun."
For Mclemore, the festival is about more than size. "They're so big and they make people happy," she said. "We have a really awesome community of people who like to get together, get things done, and just celebrate and have fun."
A family hobby grew a pumpkin the size of a car and gave a whole town something to celebrate.
Source: Stillwater's Harvest Fest brings in 2,500-pound pumpkin (CBS Minnesota).
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
More from the archive
- Bride visits father in hospital for wedding day dance October 30, 2026
- Ontario volunteers take injured turtles to hospital by road and air October 29, 2026
- Chris Dixon runs 940.06 kilometres on treadmill for Free 3D Hands October 28, 2026
- Loreto pupils fund clean water well for village in Sierra Leone October 28, 2026
- Pakistani golfers donate €10,000 to Carrigallen National School October 28, 2026