The Great Weighing O' The Pumpkins

I was at the Giant Pumpkin Festival (see yesterday's post) and all the time I was there, I noticed huge pumpkins being hauled back and forth on pallets:

I soon discovered that they were bringing them, one at a time, into the commercial building to be officially weighed:

The tractor brought a new pumpkin over to the barn, where the forklift lifted it with straps and carried it in to be weighed. While the pumpkin was on the scale, the tractor returned the most recently weighed pumpkin and brought over a new one. It was quite an operation:

They saved the biggest pumpkins for last:

The winner, the biggest by far, officially weighed 1018 pounds:

This was the winning pumpkin's grower, posing beside his prized produce with his son:

When all the pumpkins were weighed, they were set outside with their weight and growers' names attached. Lots of families were taking photos with the giant pumpkins:

And giant they were indeed:

The second place pumpkin weighed 698 pounds:


625 pounds:

554 pounds:

484 pounds. But it was time for me to head for home. I never got to see the prizes awarded for biggest and ugliest pumpkins, and I never got to see the giant pumpkin drop. Well, there's always next year:

The Giant Pumpkin Festival

I'd noticed the publicity for a Giant Pumpkin Festival and, when the day arrived, drove to the fairgrounds in the town of Gouverneur. I parked, and began walking toward the action. The first activity I encountered was a children's bouncy castle and popcorn machine. The woman in orange was, I soon discovered, the master of ceremonies and I would be encountering her wherever I went:

But of course my first stop was to see the giant pumpkins:

There were food venders:

And a commercial exhibit with lots of venders of various, local wares:

One barn was devoted to giant pumpkins and folks were taking photographs beside them. It really did help to appreciate the size of those big, orange fruits to have people beside them:

They were huge, but not always orange:

A local country band was playing:

And the mid-size pumpkins were displayed outside. That crane you see would be used later for the giant pumpkin drop (and splat):

These men were hollowing a pumpkin for the big drop. It was to be filled with numbered golf balls and people were buying tickets. The three golf balls which flew the farthest when the pumpkin hit the ground would earn prizes for the folks who took a chance:

There was chainsaw carving:

And a pumpkin pie eating contest, with eleven contestants of all ages. The winner would be whoever ate an entire pumpkin pie the fastest. The emcee, the ubiquitous woman in orange, was teasing them by saying the winner's prize would be only a pumpkin pie and a bottle of water:

This man was the winner. Apparently the emcee was not joking, as she gave him a pumpkin pie, a bottle of water and a tee-shirt. I hope he also got some cash, but I didn't see any. There was also, of course, a weigh-in for the heaviest pumpkins, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

Small Animal Swap Meet In Gouverneur, New York - Part 2

I was attending the swap meet of the Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association at the fairgrounds in Gouverneur, New York. I'd hoped to find some Fantail Pigeons, but was enjoying the other beautiful birds while I searched:

There were Black Swedish and Cayuga ducks:

Angora rabbits:

And finally, some pigeons. They were lovely, but not fantails:

 I think these were White Japanese:

More Vietnamese Potbelly Pigs:

An Angora rabbit being groomed. It was nice to see how tame the bunny was and how tenderly it was treated. These were mostly people who loved animals:

I asked about Fantail Pigeons and someone called a friend who said he'd bring some down at $25 per pair. I was tempted, but said that was a little steep, especially sight unseen. So I kept looking:

Dark Throat Golden Pheasants:

And Red Golden Pheasants:

Tangerine and white Ringnecked Doves:

I don't know what breed these were, but they looked old. They were also my last stop before I got back into my car and began the long drive home:

Small Animal Swap Meet In Gouverneur, New York - Part 1

On the morning after the dog agility trials (see yesterday's post), I drove to the county fairgrounds in Gouverneur, New York for a small animal swap meet. It was sponsored by the Northern New York Poultry Fanciers Association:

I parked my car and began looking at the many tailgate cages with birds and other animals for sale:

I was hoping to add some new blood to my Fantail Pigeons, but would enjoy looking at everything. These, I believe, were white Old English Game Bantams. And what a cheap price! Apparently someone wanted rid of them:

This couple was purchasing some very large Partridge (colored) Cochin Chickens:

A grand mixture of birds, including some colorful Polish (with the topknots):

This truck had lots of Golden Pheasants for sale:

 I walked around to the back of the truck, where folks were already crowded around for a closer look:
 

A pair of Silver Golden Pheasants:

And Lady Amherst Pheasants:

Then I continued walking. There was a food vender, but it was much too early for lunch:

Someone was selling a Vietnamese Potbelly Pig:

I entered the Poultry Barn and discovered lots of birds and other animals for sale. Many of them were clearly labeled with breed names and prices, which was very nice. But I still hadn't seen any Fantail Pigeons, so I kept looking. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: