Giant, floating pumpkin races draw large crowds to annual event in Oregon

By CLAIRE RUSH TUALATIN Ore AP Hoisting his kayak paddle in the air triumphantly Gary Kristensen celebrated as he crossed the finish line victorious in his giant floating pumpkin Related Articles US man arrested in Scotland and convicted of Utah rape gets at least years in prison What to know about the Amazon Web Services outage Disney and Hulu cancellations rose after ABC briefly pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live Broadway actors and producers reach tentative labor deal but musicians still threaten a strike Governing body shutdown imperils dozens of Head Start preschool programs Dressed up as the character Buddy from Will Ferrell s holiday movie Elf Kristensen won the first race in the annual event over the weekend in Tualatin Oregon The Portland suburb has hosted the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta since drawing large crowds who cheer on costumed participants as they race around a small human-made lake in humongous pumpkins that have been carved out allowing them to float You ve got an exciting activity that crowds love you ve got the costumes cheering people spectacle pumpkins sinking it has everything Kristensen reported after emerging victorious in the first race of Sunday s event in a -pound pumpkin For Kristensen who has competed in the regatta since the activity has become much more than a once-annual affair Earlier this year he claimed a Guinness World Record for longest journey by pumpkin boat after paddling chosen miles on the Columbia River urgent the record he had set the previous year The niche endeavor has also become a passion for Brad Bahns who participated in his fourth regatta dressed up as a character from the TV series Squid Competition He described the fun in growing his own pumpkin which took six months and getting to culminate the season by putting it in the lake and paddling with our friends At pounds the weight of his pumpkin this year marked a personal record for him It s kind of an addiction at this point he reported In the early morning rain before the races got underway workers operated fork lifts and heavy machinery to lift the enormous pumpkins and transfer them to the water Growers and competitors then wielded saws and knives to cut a hole in the top of their pumpkins and scooped out the goopy insides with spoons scrapers and their bare hands so that they could sit inside Nina Richards dressed as Shrek races in a giant pumpkin during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane Jon Sestak dressed as Elvis is helped out of the loading area ahead of his race during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane From left Brod Salo Julia Rae Nathanson and Ellis Lorant pose with a giant pumpkin during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane People race giant pumpkins during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane A child points to people racing giant pumpkins during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane Show Caption of Nina Richards dressed as Shrek races in a giant pumpkin during the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta on Sunday Oct in Tualatin Ore AP Photo Jenny Kane Expand The more innards that are removed the lighter the pumpkin becomes giving its captain a competitive edge by allowing swifter passage By the time the carving was done there were enough discarded seeds and pulp to fill a dumpster Members of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers who grow the pumpkins for the regatta were the competitors in the first race On its website the gardening association describes itself as focused on the fun-filled competitive hobby of growing obscenely large vegetables Aboard pumpkins of differing orange and yellow hues their costumes varied from celebrity chef Guy Fieri and a UPS delivery man with cardboard boxes stacked on the back of his pumpkin to Elvis and a person in a hot dog suit Someone dressed up as Luigi the character from Nintendo s Mario games with a trademark green cap and shirt had a green pumpkin to match In another race a participant wore a Shrek costume and green face paint mirroring specific fans in the crowd who also dressed up as the lovable ogre from the popular films When petitioned what it takes to grow a massive pumpkin Kristensen shared his simple recipe for success Good seeds good soil good luck hard work