CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Several giant pumpkins grown in West Virginia, including a near-thousand-pound gourd from Thomas, are on display at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
More than a dozen giant pumpkins ranging from a few hundred to more than 2,000 pounds are being shown at the amusement park’s Colossal Pumpkin Patch for its annual Harvest Festival. At least two of them are from West Virginia.
Photos of the giant pumpkins shared on Dollywood’s social media show that this year’s Colossal Pumpkin Patch includes:
- A 612-pound pumpkin from Lewisburg, W.Va.
- A 989-pound pumpkin from Thomas, W.Va.
The grower of the heaviest West Virginia pumpkin on display, Terry Nelson, is one of the more successful giant pumpkin growers in the state. In 2020, Nelson grew a pumpkin that weighed in at 1,686 at the West Virginia Pumpkin Festival, which was the state record at the time. Since then, several larger pumpkins have been grown, but according to a self-reported pumpkin records website, Nelson’s 2020 pumpkins are still one of the heaviest ever grown in the state.
The heaviest pumpkin on display at Dollywood this year is from Enon Valley, Pa. and weighed 2,004 pounds.
