FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2017
Media Contact: Diana M. Melero
Marketing Coordinator
Farm Supply Company
Phone: (805) 543-3751
dmelero@farmsupplycompany.com
The 12th Annual Great Pumpkin & Scarecrow Contest!
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA – October 18, 2017 – Tomorrow the giant, beautiful and most unusual pumpkins will take over the Mission Plaza once again! Local pumpkin growers test their growing skills to see who can produce the heaviest giant pumpkin. This year growers have been challenged once again as it has not been the most optimal growing season. At last year’s contest, enthusiastic attendees witnessed the weighing of the heaviest pumpkin on the Central Coast, weighing 609 pounds.
This year Farm Supply also added a NEW twist to their contest, by adding a carved pumpkin category. Farm Supply wants to see contestants use their creative imagination to create their best-carved pumpkin. Prizes awarded to each first place winner from each of the following categories: Youth, 4-H/FFA, Adult carved pumpkins, and Organization, Business, Youth 12 & under and Adult 13 & older scarecrows. Spectators will be given the chance to vote for their favorite 4-H/FFA Scarecrow at the contest. First place 4-H/FFA scarecrow will receive a cash prize of $250 for their club or chapter.
The contest will be held in the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, October 19th between 4 and 7 pm.
Spectators are guaranteed an amazing show as the Cal Poly Bioresource and Ag Engineering Department donate their time as the official Pumpkin Lifting Team, and will certify the results. In addition to the weigh-off, a pumpkin activity center will be available for the whole family: “Guess the Weight” of a giant, photo opportunity inside a giant pumpkin, and activities for the kids.
Local judges will award prizes in the most beautiful and most unusual categories sponsored by Rabobank. The top three heaviest pumpkins will roll home with a share of $1,500 from Farm Credit West. A special prize will be awarded to the heaviest pumpkin grown by a 4-H and FFA Member and Child 12 and under, sponsored by Kellogg Garden Products.
A special thank you goes out to Joe Sabol, who with his guidance helped seed the contest by sprouting and growing over 600 pumpkin plants in the spring. Farm Supply would also like to thank; Poor Richards Press for printing the promotional material, KJUG official contest announcer, Ag Ambassadors, CFFA, Foundation for Ag Awareness, County of San Luis Obispo Weights and Measures, Central Coast Scales, Got You Cover’d, and J.B. Dewar.
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