(I dropped a lot of hints.) Best gift ever!"
Melissa started her Giant growing
season on April 1st, 2021 and on
September 28th she entered two giant
pumpkins in the Benton County Fair. It
was her first time entering something
at the fair. The biggest pumpkin, named
"Rosie," weighed in at 500 pounds! The
smaller one, named "Mary," weighed in at
253 pounds. Both pumpkins raked in some
awards! Rosie was awarded First place in
her division, Grand Champion and Best
of Show. Mary was awarded First place in
her division and Grand Champion. Along
with the ribbons Rosie was also awarded
a $200.00 check from the The Food
Conservancy of NW Arkansas and Center
for Arkansas Farms and Food. After the
fair Rosie and Mary were purchased by
Dylan Ayres and featured on his TikTok
video. You can check it out by following
Dylandoestiktok1.
Along with growing the Giant
pumpkins, Melissa also managed to grow
250 field pumpkins, speciality pumpkins
and gourds.
"It was a lot of work but on harvest day
it is so worth it," says Melissa. "I would
encourage anyone to give it a try. If you
are new to it, just start out with a few jack-
o-lanterns to get the hang of it."
The Horticulture department at the
Benton County Fair would love to see
your fruits and vegetables in the fall.
And Melissa would love to have the
competition.
"My goal is to break the Arkansas State
record of 684 pounds, so I hope to see
you there with a record breaking Giant!
GianTs continued from page 18
20 2022 Benton County Fair
Name: BC Fair
2.67 x 3.66"
Customer Name: WALMART-PEA RIDGE
Ad Number: 050222NWR1911
From all of your friends at the Pea Ridge
Walmart Neighborhood Market.
Welcome to the
Benton County Fair
