A pumpkin that weighs almost as much as an adult black bear took top honors at Hysham's Fall Fun Festival, and the grower behind it isn't even three years old yet.
Watch the full story below:
The 280-pound pumpkin, grown by two-year-old Barrett Sears, was the big winner at the festival, which brought the community together for an annual tradition that turned into something much bigger.
In the Sears family, each child got to grow their own plant.
"Each kid got to pick a plant. We have three children," Marlee Sears said.
Three kids, three plants and three pumpkins that squashed expectations. Barrett's entry took the top spot. His older sister Emery's pumpkin, Stella, took a close second at 241 pounds. Their oldest son, Clayton Mitchell had the smallest in their patch.
"Barrett's was the big winner, and his name was Arlo. And it was the 280-pound pumpkin," Marlee said.
A green thumb runs in the family. Barrett's dad, Sean Sears, shared his love for gardening with his kids.
"I started my very first couple tomato plants and then grew from there," Sean said.
The pumpkins weren't just grown for fun, there was a competition to win, part of a larger community celebration.
"the Hysham Chamber hosted with River Bottom the fall fun day," Alison Baue, Chamber President, said.
The fun sprouted well beyond the pumpkin patch.
"Free horse-drawn trolley rides from Elk River Outfitting here around town and then we had some hot cocoa and cookies and chili," Baue said.
For the Sears family and the whole community, it was a chance to soak up a little fall fun before winter moves in, and plant the seeds for an even bigger competition next year.
"it was a great new thing for our community to get out and do something in the fall. And hopefully you know next year we'll have more people want to have bigger pumpkins," Marlee said.
