A nine-hour drive, a massive pumpkin, and a single blemish: that’s the story of Jeff Warner’s near-miss at this year’s Port Elgin Pumpkinfest. The Ontario farmer had spent months nurturing a 1,711-pound gourd—nearly 200 pounds heavier than the eventual winner—only for a tiny soft spot to cost him the top prize.
Warner, based in Englehart, had long been chasing the record. His pumpkin, a towering six-by-six-foot specimen, was a labor of love, requiring countless hours of care in the fields. But when he arrived at the festival earlier this month, judges measured the flaw and ruled it too large to comply with contest rules. The hole, once no bigger than a coin, had expanded during the journey, exceeding the three-inch limit.
The farmer admits he knew the risk. “I told myself I had a 50/50 chance of getting disqualified,” he said, though he still made the trip for the experience alone. The winning pumpkin, at 1,542 pounds, was a distant second, but the disappointment was tempered by the attention his own gourd had drawn along the way.
Warner’s pumpkin wasn’t just a contest entry—it became a local attraction. Families stopped along highways to see it, and the sheer scale of the gourd left a lasting impression. Now, with the competition behind him, Warner has a unique plan for its final chapter. The pumpkin will be transported north to feed polar bears in a nearby habitat, giving its massive form one last purpose.
Despite the disqualification, Warner doesn’t regret the effort. “As the time goes, you’re trying to beat yourself—get a bigger pumpkin every year,” he reflected. The journey, after all, was as much about the process as the prize.
