ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - On Oct. 5, as per tradition for every year since the event’s inception, the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival hosted the much-anticipated giant pumpkin weigh-off.

This event has been a staple of the festival since it was first started in 1994. More than 30 participants took part in the weigh-off despite the sweltering heat. Other volunteers took part in other portions of this popular event such as weighing squash, watermelon and cantaloupes, as well as measuring the size of sunflowers and long gourds.

Also in the competition was the “Future Farmers” section, consisting of a child-age competitors. Five kids took part, with each of their pumpkin weights surpassing their own. Sankalp Immadisetty, a 15-year-old Granite Bay High School student, won first place with his pumpkin weighing 777 pounds. His younger brother, Sreeyan, also competed and came in fifth place with his pumpkin weighing 171 pounds and showed support for his older brother.

Immadisetty said that this was his fourth year growing a pumpkin. His very first one weighed 585 pounds, and his most recent one weighed 1,034 pounds prior to this contest. Despite being more than half its weight, Immadisetty said he was satisfied.

“We had a hard year as the heat and the storms, along with being involved in other activities were factors, but I was still happy to be consistent and come back year after year with a pumpkin, light or heavy,” Immadisetty said.

The first hour of the main competition had its first lead with a pumpkin weighing 793 pounds. After an hour-long break, the rest of the pumpkins surpassed the original leader by breaking 1,000 pounds. The overall victor was the final entry. Ruben Frias, a farmer from Napa, won the competition with his pumpkin weighing 1,967 pounds, barely surpassing the second-place winner, Madison Thomson, by outweighing his pumpkin by 27 pounds.

Although his pumpkin won the competition, this wasn’t his heaviest pumpkin. Frias said his heaviest weighed 2,118 pounds when he took part in a competition in 2009.

Frias said the growing process started in April when he planted the seed and used a lot of fertilizer and water for the growth.

“It’s a lot of work,” Frias said. “I used 15,000 gallons of water for the pumpkin to grow.”

Brandon Dawson of Sonoma County had his pumpkin clock in at 1,713 pounds. He was the third-place winner overall. Dawson said he had planted the seeds in his backyard in March and pollinated the pumpkin in June. It took 120 days to grow, and he just recently harvested it, he said.

Dawson said he had been growing pumpkins for four years, but this was the first time he took part in this festival

“I hope to come here again,” Dawson said. “It was a really cool event and a great place for the kids to run around.”

For some people in this competition, it can also be a family affair. The Righetti family from San Luis Obispo came out to participate, with the patriarch Dave and his two sons, Jonny and Gavin, participating with support from the matriarch Tammy.

Dave Righetti said that he had been growing pumpkins for 15 to18 years, but when his sons gained an interest in growing pumpkins, they all “stepped up their game.”

Jonny Righetti said that he couldn’t have done his gardening without the help and support of his father and his brother.

“My dad and my brother helped me a lot with the fertilizer, getting the right genetics and seeds and starting at the right time,” Jonny Righetti said. “I put in a fair amount of work in taking care of the plants after getting started, but they really helped me out.”