Massive pumpkin sets new record at the NC State Fair. Here’s how much it weighs
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- The winning pumpkin brought by Albert Rodebaugh of West Virginia, weighed 2,244.5 pounds.
- The heaviest watermelon, grown by Chris Kent in Tennessee, weighed 288.6 pounds.
- North Carolina State Fair visitors can see giant produce in the Agri Supply Expo Center.
The record for the heaviest pumpkin entered at the North Carolina State Fair’s annual competition has been broken again.
Albert Rodebaugh of Craigsville, West Virginia, took home the top prize with a pumpkin weighing 2,244.5 pounds.
Rodebaugh’s gourd broke the record set last year by his son, Chris Rodebaugh, by more than 38 pounds.
“It’s been a wonderful day,” the elder Rodebaugh told The News & Observer at the weigh-off, held Tuesday, Oct. 14. “I’ve enjoyed myself being here.”
The winning watermelon, weighing 288.6 pounds, was hauled in by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee. Kent set the world record for heaviest watermelon in 2013 with a 350.5-pound fruit.
This year, about a dozen giant pumpkins and a dozen giant watermelons were weighed in the competition. The competition is open to growers in any state and is sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, an international organization that promotes growing giant produce.
The stakes are high — and not just because the winning melons and gourds are displayed at the fair, remaining one of the most popular attractions. The top 10 winners in the pumpkin and watermelon competitions are awarded cash prizes.
Susie Zuerner, a giant-produce grower from Asheville, has had a hand in the N.C. State Fair competition for years.
“The North Carolina State Fair is the Super Bowl for giant growers in the Southeast,” she said. “It offers the best price structure, the highest-profile exposure.”
Community of growers
As much as growers strive year after year to win prizes or beat records, the atmosphere at the weigh-off was lighthearted. The emcee, wearing matching orange hat, bowtie, jacket and shoes, interviewed growers as they stood at the front of the gathering, waiting to evaluate the literal fruits of their labor.
Growers and their families and friends, some dressed in orange or pumpkin-themed attire, sat in lawn chairs during the nearly four-hour event. Country and classic rock played while event organizers and workers shuffled oversized produce around the expo center. Attendees congratulated each other and shared memories of longtime growers who died since last year. Many planned to meet for dinner after the weigh-off at a local pizza joint.
This year’s event brought several familiar faces, including relatives competing against each other.
Chris Rodebaugh, whose 1,573.1-pound squash won third place in this year’s competition, inspired his father to start growing giant gourds six years ago.
Every year, Albert has grown a gourd larger than the one the year before. Next year, Chris’ daughter plans to grow with her father, Albert said.
And it’s not just the Rodebaugh family who made growing giant produce a group activity.
Donald Murphy of Pink Hill, North Carolina, was known at the fair for growing giant watermelons and giant pumpkins. In June, soon after he planted the seed that he planned to take to the competition, Murphy died. But his family — primarily his oldest son, Donald Murphy Jr. — nurtured the plant and brought it to the fair.
It came in fifth place, weighing 682.6 pounds, making it the heaviest North Carolina-grown pumpkin at the competition.
How do this year’s results compare to 2024 winners?
In 2024, the top three winning gourds came from West Virginia, and the top two each weighed more than a ton.
- First place: 2,206.1 pounds, grown by Chris Rodebaugh of Lewisburg, West Virginia
- Second place: 2,197.8 pounds, grown by Terry and Lois Nelson of Thomas, West Virginia
- Third place: 1,858.5 pounds, grown by Albert Rodebaugh of Craigsville, West Virginia
The heaviest pumpkin grown in North Carolina and weighed at the 2024 state fair was 824.2 pounds, grown by Ernie Coley of Jefferson.
In the watermelon competition, Andrew Vial of Liberty, North Carolina, took first place with a 258.6-pound fruit. Chris Rodebaugh took second with a 242.6-pound watermelon, and Chris Kent placed third with a 233.9-pound melon.
When is the NC State Fair?
The North Carolina State Fair begins Thursday, Oct. 16 and ends Sunday, Oct. 26.
Giant pumpkins and watermelons are on display in the Agri Supply Expo Center at the state fairgrounds.
For details on the fair, go to ncstatefair.org.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Massive pumpkin sets new record at the NC State Fair. Here’s how much it weighs."
