Bay Harbour: April 10, 2024

<strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News Wednesday <strong>April</strong> <strong>10</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />

8<br />

NEWS<br />

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />

A day to celebrate prodigious pumpkins<br />

• By Geoff Sloan<br />

THOUSANDS OF people flocked<br />

to Little River on Sunday to check<br />

out pumpkins of all shapes and<br />

sizes.<br />

The Little River Giant Pumpkin<br />

Festival has been running for<br />

more than 20 years, and is a<br />

community fundraiser helping<br />

support the local school.<br />

Festival organiser Mel Birch<br />

said the event seems to get bigger<br />

every year, which was good news<br />

for Little River School.<br />

“Tamariki like to receive<br />

microscopes and sunblock and<br />

tissues in class, all the sorts of<br />

things we raise money for”.<br />

Hamilton’s annual pumpkin<br />

carnival got cancelled this year,<br />

making the Little River event<br />

the country’s biggest pumpkin<br />

festival.<br />

Competition was fierce with<br />

growers from across the district<br />

lining up in eight categories,<br />

including the smallest, the ugliest<br />

and the best children’s decorated<br />

pumpkins.<br />

Pumpkin competition<br />

judges Yvonne Gilmore, Wendy<br />

Calvesbert and Wendy Cole<br />

said the standard of entries was<br />

excellent.<br />

They were amazed at the level<br />

of innovation and colourful<br />

new ideas brought to this year’s<br />

competition.<br />

Six-year-old first-time grower<br />

Margot Keymer was proud to<br />

claim the perfect pumpkin title.<br />

However, the main drawcards<br />

were the hotly-contested giant<br />

pumpkin categories.<br />

“We have the big boy for the<br />

heaviest pumpkin, and we have<br />

the local big boy, which is the<br />

heaviest local pumpkin,’’ the<br />

judges said.<br />

“We also have the wide<br />

girl, which is another giant<br />

competition, for the largest<br />

circumference”.<br />

Last year’s runner-up,<br />

Templeton grower Max<br />

Farrell managed to take out<br />

the prestigious ‘Champion of<br />

Champions’ trophy.<br />

“I’m pleased with that, it’s a<br />

good day out. Help the school,<br />

raise some funds. That’s what it’s<br />

all about.”<br />

The master grower was happy<br />

to share a few secrets to growing a<br />

monster pumpkin.<br />

“Quite a bit of fertiliser, quite a<br />

bit of water and plenty of luck”.<br />

But Farrell’s not resting on his<br />

laurels – he’s vowing to return to<br />

the festival next year with an even<br />

bigger pumpkin or possibly two.<br />

Festival organisers have already<br />

started planning for next year’s<br />

event on <strong>April</strong> 6.<br />

• Watch the video on<br />

Starnews.co.nz<br />

– Made with the support of NZ<br />

On Air<br />

GOURD GOALS: Little<br />

River’s Margot Keymer, 6,<br />

won a prize for her ‘perfect’<br />

pumpkin while pumpkin<br />

grower supreme Max Farrell<br />

took out the Champion of<br />

Champions trophy.<br />

PHOTOS: GEOFF SLOAN