Troy VanArsdalen Wins Circleville Pumpkin Show With Record 2,455-Pound Pumpkin
The historic entry marks the festival's first one-ton pumpkin as the 119th annual event opens at Main and Court streets.
Grower Troy VanArsdalen and supporters gather around his record-breaking 2,455-pound giant pumpkin at Main and Court streets during the 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show.
Credit: Scioto Post Image source
A massive pumpkin weighing 2,455 pounds stole the spotlight Wednesday morning as the 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show kicked off with a new record. Pumpkin grower Troy VanArsdalen claimed the top spot with his enormous entry.
The entry stands as a one-ton pumpkin that shatters the Circleville Pumpkin Show record. The victory shattered the previous 2014 festival record of 1,964 pounds.
Pete Bower captured second place in the competition with a 1,709-pound pumpkin, while David Beyer took third place with an entry weighing 1,657 pounds.
VanArsdalen, who has been growing competition pumpkins for just three years, said he has relied heavily on the knowledge and support of other local growers to help him learn the craft, according to local reporting by the Scioto Post. Growers say preparing a pumpkin for competition requires approximately six months of daily attention, a commitment VanArsdalen described as a “full-time, part-time job.”
To qualify for the giant pumpkin competition, entries must be grown within a 25-mile radius of downtown Circleville.
His 10-year-old grandson, Able, earned fourth place in this year’s competition with a pumpkin weighing 1,553 pounds in his second year of growing giant pumpkins.
The 119th Circleville Pumpkin Show runs Wednesday through Saturday, October 21 to 24, starting with the giant pumpkin weigh-in on Wednesday morning at Main and Court streets. The winning pumpkin was installed on central public display at Main and Court streets as the show opened downtown, remaining the centerpiece through the festival's conclusion on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
The festival originated in October 1903 with Mayor George Haswell's modest pumpkin-and-corn display. The festival attracts more than 400,000 visitors who enjoy seven parades, three pageants, and performances by top marching bands.
More than 300 vendors will line about nine square blocks of downtown, 37 of them serving some kind of pumpkin food.
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https://www.sciotopost.com/massive-2455-pound-pumpkin-shatters-circleville-pumpkin-show-record/
Supporting evidence (6)
A massive pumpkin weighing 2,455 pounds stole the spotlight Wednesday morning as the 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show kicked off with a new record.
Read supporting passage
A massive pumpkin weighing 2,455 pounds stole the spotlight Wednesday morning as the 2026 Circleville Pumpkin Show kicked off with a new record that crushed the competition and rewrote the festival’s history.
Pumpkin grower Troy VanArsdalen claimed the top spot with his enormous entry.
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Pumpkin grower Troy Vanarsdalen claimed the top spot with his enormous entry
VanArsdalen, who has been growing competition pumpkins for just three years, said he has relied heavily on the knowledge and support of other local growers to help him learn the craft, according to local reporting by the Scioto Post.
Read supporting passage
Vanarsdalen, who has been growing competition pumpkins for just three years, said he has relied heavily on the knowledge and support of other local growers to help him and his grandsons learn the craft.
Growers say preparing a pumpkin for competition requires approximately six months of daily attention, a commitment VanArsdalen described as a “full-time, part-time job.”
Read supporting passage
Growers say preparing a pumpkin for competition requires approximately six months of daily attention, a commitment Vanarsdalen described as a “full-time, part-time job.”
To qualify for the giant pumpkin competition, entries must be grown within a 25-mile radius of downtown Circleville.
His 10-year-old grandson, Able, earned fourth place in this year’s competition with a pumpkin weighing 1,553 pounds in his second year of growing giant pumpkins.
Read supporting passage
His 10-year-old grandson, Able, earned fourth place in this year’s competition with a pumpkin weighing 1,553 pounds. The accomplishment is especially impressive considering Able is only in his second year of growing giant pumpkins.
One-ton pumpkin shatters Circleville pumpkin show record
Supporting evidence (1)
The entry stands as a one-ton pumpkin that shatters the Circleville Pumpkin Show record.
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One-ton pumpkin shatters Circleville pumpkin show record
Supporting evidence (2)
The 119th Circleville Pumpkin Show runs Wednesday through Saturday, October 21 to 24, starting with the giant pumpkin weigh-in on Wednesday morning at Main and Court streets.
Read supporting passage
The 119th Circleville Pumpkin Show runs Wednesday through Saturday, October 21 to 24, and it starts the way it always starts: with the giant pumpkin weigh-in on Wednesday morning at Main and Court.
More than 300 vendors will line about nine square blocks of downtown, 37 of them serving some kind of pumpkin food.
Read supporting passage
More than 300 vendors will line about nine square blocks of downtown, 37 of them serving some kind of pumpkin food
Supporting evidence (2)
The festival originated in October 1903 with Mayor George Haswell's modest pumpkin-and-corn display.
Read supporting passage
Originating in October 1903 with Mayor George Haswell's modest pumpkin-and-corn display, the event has blossomed into a massive four-day festival.
The festival attracts more than 400,000 visitors who enjoy seven parades, three pageants, and performances by top marching bands.
Read supporting passage
Today, the festival attracts more than 400,000 visitors who enjoy seven parades, three pageants, and performances by top marching bands.