$25K offered for first 1-ton pumpkin

HALF MOON BAY, Calif., May 21 (UPI) -- Organizers of a California pumpkin weigh-off championship said a $25,000 prize will go to the person who grows the world's first 1-ton pumpkin.

The winning pumpkin at the Half Moon Bay, Calif., competition must break the 2,000-pound threshold and be the heaviest pumpkin weighed in at the Oct. 8 event, a release from championship organizers said Monday.

The world record for heaviest-recorded pumpkin is 1,818.5 pounds, grown by Jim and Kelsey Bryson, of Wellington, Ontario, the release said.

"It's only a matter of time before someone grows the first one-ton pumpkin, and it would be incredibly exciting to have that monumental landmark established right here," said Cameron Palmer, chairman of Half Moon Bay's Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. "With Half Moon Bay's proud tradition and legacy, it would not only be fitting but also a tremendous honor for our weigh-off."