One BIG Pumpkin – Shelby Man Recaptures State Pumpkin Record

Shelby man recaptures state giant pumpkin record

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — A northern Montana man has recaptured the state's giant pumpkin record with a 1,168-pound gourd he raised in his grandfather's garden in Shelby.

Kyle Koschmeder used a backhoe to lift it into the back of a pickup truck to haul it to Ronan for the Big Sky Giant Pumpkin Growers Association weigh-in last Saturday.

His pumpkin beat the old record of 1,039 pounds set last year by Emmett May of Polson.

Koschmeder, 34, last held the state record in 2010 with a 782-pound pumpkin. May answered with an 893-pounder in 2011.

The Great Falls Tribune (http://gftrib.com/18qd4kS ) reports the giant pumpkin is on display at Shelby Paint and Hardware. Koschmeder said he's thinking about having the community help carve it into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

Photo by Wendy Nielsen

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Online: http://www.bigskypumpkingrowers.com/