MATT Winslow and Barry Kerr were all set to enter the heaviest pumpkin competition at the Macksville Show this year; they had their entries growing nicely and a friendly rivalry to spur them on.
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Unfortunately, COVID-19 saw a swift end to their aspirations when the show was cancelled.
"We are old veggie growers from way back, both of us have been growing all our lives, but this was the first year we tried to grow a pumpkin for the show," Barry said.
"When COVID-19 struck, and the show was cancelled, we decided to display our handy work outside Norco, and see if anyone was game to challenge us, nobody came forward though."
Barry managed to get the better of Matt's 62 kg pumpkin with a fair sized 73 kg vegetable, but next year the two friends hope to attract more competitors.
"We are in the early stages of planning a pumpkin growing competition; it would be run in conjunction with the Macksville Show next year," Matt said.
"The competition would open to everyone, and there will be a cash prize on offer.
"Depending on how much interest is shown, I'd also like to get some of the local schools involved."
"We have been hearing plenty of talk from people up and down the coast saying they can grow the biggest pumpkins, now is the time to prove it," Barry said.
The final details on the competition are still to be decided, but anybody interested in taking up the challenge to grow the biggest pumpkin, stay tuned for more information on how to enter.
