Steve Daletas aus Oregon (USA) ist bereits viermaliger Gewinner der Kürbis-Meisterschaften. Sein diesjähriges Prachtstück bringt 2'170 Pfund (984 Kilo) auf die Waage. Mit sieben Dollar pro Pfund verdient er damit rund 15'000 US-Dollar. Seit bereits 40 Jahren finden die alljährlichen Kürbis-Meisterschaften in Half Moon Bay, Californien, statt.

Byline: Laura Zimmermann

Location: Half Moon Bay USA

Notes:

Oregon farmer becomes four-time pumpkin champion

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Half Moon Bay, California - 8 October 2018

1. Emcee singing pumpkin song during weigh-in

2. Pumpkin mascot posing for photo with children

3. Dog wearing pumpkin costume

4. Marching band playing Halloween music

5. Crowd watching pumpkin weigh-ins

6. Entries for "prettiest pumpkin" being shown off

7. Steve Daletas' pumpkin being guided towards scale

8. Low angle shot of pumpkin being lowered onto scale

9. Officials weighing Daletas' pumpkin

10. Scale reads 2,170 pounds (984 kilos)

11. Green growers jacket being awarded to Daletas

12. Official writing winning weight on board

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Daletas, Four-Time Pumpkin Growing Champion     

"We spend twelve months on this so this is kind of the culmination of many, many months worth of work."

14. Daletas poses behind winning pumpkin

15. Close up of Daletas posing for pictures

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Daletas, Four-Time Pumpkin Growing Champion     

"This warming trend that we seem to be under, at least right now, has kind of shifted from where I am actually even up to the Seattle area. The summers have been really favourable the last couple of years, whereas you know, quite often it will be a little too cold. It's been a good shift for us if you're a pumpkin grower."

17. Picture of 2,528 pound (1,146 kilos) US-record pumpkin weighed in New Hampshire last month

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Daletas, Four-Time Pumpkin Growing Champion     

"Thousands of people will get pictures with it which is really kind of why we do this in the first place, to put smiles on people's faces. When the festival's over, we'll probably take it home and put it in front of our house."

19. Sleeping baby wearing pumpkin hat

STORYLINE:

An Oregon man is a one-man pumpkin-growing dynasty.

Steve Daletas of Pleasant Hill, Oregon became a four-time winner of the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off Monday in Half Moon Bay, California.

The annual event attracts the biggest pumpkins from up and down the West Coast.

After a forklift gingerly placed his giant gourd into place, the scale indicated the winning weight of 2,170 pounds (984 kilos).

The Oregon farmer credits his continuing success at the competition with warming weather in the Pacific Northwest.

With seven-dollars-per-pound going to the winner, Daletas' pumpkin earned him 15,000 US dollars.

It was the second heaviest pumpkin ever weighed at the 40-year-old California event, but it was still far from a U-S record.

That was set just last month when a grower in New Hampshire produced a pumpkin weighing more than 2,500 pounds.

Last year the record for the heaviest pumpkin in the world was set at a competition in Europe by a Belgium grower whose winning whopper came in at just over 2,600 pounds (1,179 kilos).

Type: Raw