Blue Ribbon for the Biggest: Record produce at the Oklahoma State Fair
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — They are members of a small segment of Oklahoma farmers and gardeners competing for size alone: the longest squash, the fattest gourds, and the heaviest pumpkins.
Richard Bottorf has been watching his prize pumpkin closely all summer.
"It's an experience," he smiles.
He lives in Republic, Missouri, but when his largest produce stopped growing he brought it to the closest registered scale available.
He admits, "I was hoping it would get bigger, but you never know with a pumpkin."
Bottorf already owns the top five records for largest pumpkins ever grown in Missouri.
Tom Rozenstine held the Oklahoma record a few years ago at 880 pounds and now helps run this unique competition at the State Fair.
"To think you can grow a pumpkin that big is extremely amazing," he remarks.
Russell Fanning has the record now at 1,172 pounds.
This event is the only place all year where farmers and gardeners like the Harrison family of Elk City, and landscapers like Bryan Baker meet in one big room.
"This is the one I was telling you about," he gushes. "It's from my own genetics, 529 Baker."
Watermelon growers like Garrin Bratcher have caught on to the size game as well.
His family grew three huge melons this summer.
One of them, hopefully, ready to smash a state record set back in 1983.
"Rush Springs, the watermelon capitol, has never had the state record," he states. "So I took it on as a goal to see if I could bring it home."
The judges measured smallest first.
It took five grown men to carry Bratcher's biggest melon and it didn't disappoint.
"We have a new state record!" shouted the announcer.
Bratcher's watermelon weighed in at 268 pounds.
"That's pretty cool," he smiled after the competition. "I was hoping to bring that home."
Baker's big, orange pumpkin came in at 378 pounds but he was hoping for the award for best looking fruit.
Richard Bottorf's monster gave everyone a scare when it dropped the final few inches onto the scale.
At 1,734 pounds, it stands as the largest pumpkin ever entered at the fair, but short of the Missouri record already owned by Richard himself.
"It turned out really well," he said.
Every year, it's a rave to the top of what science and nature can produce.
For more information on the Oklahoma State Fair go to okstatefair.com.
For more information on some of the largest pumpkins ever grown in Oklahoma go to aagagolf.com.