"That victory was good for a $21,000 check, and came as sweet relief for Brandon Dawson, the squash-whispering Santa Rosa dad who nurtured his prize pumpkin from pollination to its peak weight of 2,346 pounds. Dawson, an Elsie Allen graduate who is now a manufacturing engineer at Rivian Automotive, was a bundle of nerves right up until a digital scale flashed the winning weight on Monday. A year ago at the competition, he'd missed out on first place by a mere six pounds."
"There was less drama this time around, as Beetle Handle, named by his four-year-old daughter Ayla - it "can mean anything you want in life," she explained - bested the runner-up by a comfortable 329 pounds. Making the moment more special, said Dawson, was sharing the stage with his mother, Pattie Dawson, a longtime master gardener who until recently had not shared his passion for olericulture - the specialized field of growing huge vegetables for competition."
Jesse Sapolu, the ex-49ers lineman, will preside as Grand Marshal for Saturday's Great Pumpkin Parade in Half Moon Bay. Beetle Handle, a pale orange 2,346-pound pumpkin, won the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off and earned a $21,000 prize. Brandon Dawson nurtured the giant from pollination to peak weight and won after missing first place by six pounds the prior year. Daughter Ayla named the pumpkin and celebrated with family. Brandon’s mother, Pattie, placed seventh with her largest-ever pumpkin, drawing her into competitive olericulture and turning the pursuit into a family affair.
Read at The Mercury News
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