Harold “France” Stinchcomb’s biggest pumpkin in 2020 weighed about 750 pounds. It was the largest he had ever grown.
This year, the two pumpkins he grew were double in size to his ones from last year, meaning that he had a new personal best.
Stinchcomb also managed to break the Wyoming state record for biggest pumpkin, growing a giant gourd weighing in at 1,544 pounds. His second largest pumpkin was 1,495 pounds.
“It feels awesome to break the record,” Stinchcomb told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “I’ve been growing pumpkins for about 18 years, but they didn’t start getting big until the last six or seven years.”
While not at the Wyoming state weigh-off in Worland, Stinchcomb took his pumpkin down to Colorado recently for the Rocky Mountain Giant Vegetable Growers competition. While there, he discovered his giant pumpkin was only heavy enough for second place in Colorado, but surpassed the Wyoming record.
The previous record was held by another Cheyenne man, Andy Corbin, whose pumpkin weighed 1,491 pounds. Stinchcomb said there is a possibility Corbin could take the record back, as he still has another pumpkin to harvest.
But for now, he’s the winner, and he’s basking in that glory.
Stinchcomb was hoping to just cross the thousand-pound mark with his pumpkins, and while he knew they were large and heavy this year, he did not ever expect to actually break the record.
“I just do it this for fun,” he said. “I carve them afterwards. My grandkids love it.”
This year’s pumpkin will soon be transformed into Murray, the mummy from the “Hotel Transylvania” film series. He has previously carved giant pumpkins to look like Leonardo from the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise, Stewie from “Family Guy” and Mater from the “Cars” movies.
Like his friends Corbin and Worland resident Jay Richard, Stinchcomb is now preparing for growing more pumpkins next year. He hopes to again break his own personal record, and maybe break another state one in the process.
And also like Richard, he encouraged anyone interested in growing a giant pumpkin to definitely try it out.
“Don’t be afraid to go for it,” he said.