The second annual Land of Giants Giant Pumpkin Festival drew in more spectators and competitors than last year. The festival, held at a farmer’s market inside the Basin Nursery on Saturday, included the weigh-off of pumpkins from under one-pound to 1,500 pounds, as well as carving talents from Adam Smith of Ogden.

“We have our main weigh-off in Thanksgiving Point and that was two weeks ago, that used to be our only one until Vernal started doing one now we like to go to both,” Andrew Israelsen said, “My pumpkin weighed 1,182 pounds, that’s my personal best right there.

“I actually held the state record for about 10 minutes,” he said. “We had four pumpkins break the state record this year, but Matt McConkie took the official state record.”

Matt McConkie, from Mountain Green, was at the pumpkin festival Saturday, winning the traveling trophy again this year as he had last year, being the two year running state champion for giant pumpkins.

“I beat last year’s record by 431 pounds,” McConkie said. “I was fortunate to have won state last year as well, but next summer I’m going to take off growing so I’m not going to be competing but I’m going to build a green house.”

McConkie said he grows four pumpkins every year, and he only lost one this year due to it getting so big it split, which McConkie said is a problem trying to get the pumpkins as large as they want them.

The local growers also had more success this year, the pumpkins entered weighed almost 500 pounds. The local pumpkin competition winner was Mark Brewer with a 499 pound pumpkin.

The festival ended with the dropping of Doris Perry’s giant pumpkin, filled with coins, from a crane.

After the pumpkin plummeted to the ground children rushed to finger through the pumpkin goo to find the change.