If you were one of those people on my mailing list, or if you read my recent Christmas letter post, you may have noticed that I mentioned that in October, Pedro and I took his twins to Tualatin to meet a Cherokee friend and see a Pumpkin Regatta. I am still trying to catch up with all my very late blog posts that I didn’t post because during the Fall when I should have been posting, I was instead doing other things that I would want to post about.
A friend messaged me this morning and asked for photos of the Pumpkin Regatta, and it was the impetus I needed to try and get one more post out there for you. It would be great to catch up soon, and be on track once 2024 begins.
The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta began in Tualatin in 2004 and from what you will see in the photos, has become a very big deal. The place was absolutely packed with almost zero room left for viewing by the time the noon race started.
We were coming to see the event for the first time in the town right next to our new home town. The crowds were too much and we decided to catch the first race and then head home. There are multiple races and we showed up early, so we prepared for race #1, which is the race for the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers. These are the folks who provided the giant pumpkins. In the meantime, we circled the man-made lake in the center of the Tualatin Town Square.
To help with the celebrations, organizers had pop music blasting as loud as the equipment could blast. Then, because it was a fun community event, the local high school marching band came in and played a series of rousing songs, competing with the roaring pop music. It was cacophonous, and we walked as far away from the announcement platform and the marching band as we could get. That meant that we were as far away from the pumpkins as we could get. Thank goodness for the zoom lens.
There are a few ways to get inside a pumpkin if you are crazy enough to want to join them in the water. (Make no mistake, everyone was soaked by the end) The city website lists three ways. First, you can talk your company into sponsoring a race, then somebody from the company gets a free spot, to represent them. Second, you can grow your own giant pumpkin and enter it once it has passed inspection. Third, you can put your name in the lottery for an opportunity. In 2023, 153 people submitted their names for the lottery and 25 were selected. The odds are not too bad.
Costumes are mandatory. You are even encouraged to decorate your pumpkin. Lottery winners find out during the summer, so that is enough time to come up with a costume and pumpkin decorations.
We tried guessing what each costume was. I don’t know how we missed it, but one of the contestants was Napoleon Dynamite, wearing a “Vote For Pedro” T-shirt.
The whole race took about 30 minutes. They paddled out to the center of the lake and circled a structure there, then paddled back to the start. There were safety kayaks and stand-up-paddlers stationed all around to help anyone out if they needed it, but in the race we watched, no one got into any trouble. There were no capsized contestants or sinking gourds. I’ll put up the rest of the race photos in a slideshow.
Here is a 5 1/2 minute video that pretty much shows everything that I was not able to show:
Conscious Engagement 
It looks like entirely too much fun – a wonderful post!
I have to get some seeds…there is a pumkin fest in Damarascotta if I rember correctly.
I love your response! It sounds like the Giant Vegetable Growers club here is a fun bunch. Maybe there is one there, and they can give you tips. Growing a specialty crop always sounded like a fun and potentially obsessive hobby I could get into, ha ha. I remember reading about the different flower growers in the US from the 1800s, and how competitive and secretive they were about the flowers they bred. And for many, the sole goal was to impress others at the fair, and win a prize. The pumpkin regatta was definitely a uniquely fun outing in October. We may head out there again, now that we know what to expect next year.
there are a few seed growers that offer seed for them, at an expense I’d normally not pay. but for once it might be fun.
I have heard some wild tales about fertilizing them, including injecting the stems. We’ll see.
wow, injecting the stems! That seems over the top! What a riot. 🙂
I’ve heard of it but never been. Thanks for the full report. I’ll have to go next time. Hilarious and so creative.
The costumes were a riot! I love the creativity. I think everyone is required to wear a lifejacket, and since I didn’t see them, everyone must have created their costumes to hide a lifejacket underneath. That’s commitment to a costume! In the other races, organizations like police and firefighters sponsor races, so then there are uniformed responders out there in pumpkins too!
Your comprehensive selections are always worth waiting for
I appreciate that sincere compliment, Derrick. Thank you. And Happy New Year to you and Jackie ❤
And to you all. Thanks very much, Crystal X