Elk Grove Pumpkin Festival draws thousands — and there’s one more day to catch the craziness

Maria Custodia, an Elk Grove resident for nearly 20 years, was shocked to see all the people who showed up to Elk Grove Park for the city’s 29th annual Giant Pumpkin Festival.

In all of her years living in Elk Grove, it was first time attending the yearly pumpkin patch.

“There’s a lot of people here, I didn’t expect this,” Custodia said.

Custodia came out to the festival on Saturday. She and her husband were sprawled out in the shade, enjoying the breeze with their tent propped up open, taking in the scenery while simultaneously getting a break from the heat.

It was a family day for Custodia, who showed up to the event because of her daughter and granddaughter.

Custodia, 70, said they wanted to “go to the pumpkin festival and see the big pumpkin.”

She wasn’t aware it’s a two-day event.

Asked if she’d be back for the final day, Custodia said they “have to go to church, first.”

After the service, she said, “Maybe we can drop by here for a while.”

Elk Grove pumpkin fest is another success

Carnival rides and fun slides. Loaded fries and Kona ice.

Face painting and more. There’s even a mechanical bull.

It’s a fall festival that had a summer feel as attendees stood in the shade, walked around with umbrellas or hung around refreshing vendors such as Handel’s Ice Cream.

It was a hot, sweltering afternoon, but the 92-degree day didn’t stop the tens of thousands of visitors who came to partake in the 29th annual EG Pumpkin Fest.

The event featured pumpkin-themed activities such as weigh-offs and carving.

Luis Rodriguez was hired to be a pumpkin carver at the festival, a task he’s been invited to complete for the previous six years.

He first took up carving 11 years ago when his then-girlfriend, now wife, Grace, brought home a pumpkin because she entered a contest at work and asked Rodriguez to carve it up and create a design.

“I’ve never carved anything in my life,” Rodriguez said. “So I did what most people do and I went to the University of Youtube and that’s how I started.”

From meticulously watching videos, he learned to not only carve pumpkins, but also how to carve watermelon Thai fruit.

Rodriguez recalls his first carving. He said it looked like someone stepped on it.

“But what I tell everybody that comes around is like, ‘Just practice.’ Every skill you just got to practice, practice, practice.”

People have been shocked to see the art that he’s able to make with carving.

Ever since Rodriguez was introduced to the craft he hasn’t stopped, although he only carves during this time of year, he said.

It’s been suggested that he should do wood carvings, but Rodriguez hopes to one day begin ice sculpting.

Each year, there’s also a pumpkin weigh-in contest.

Last year, Napa County grower Jose Ceja won with a pumpkin weighing 1,886 pounds.

Ceja returned this year, but did not win the grand prize.

This year, the title – and the top prize of $7,000 – went to Russ Pugh, whose pumpkin weighed in at 1,941 pounds.

Pugh drove nearly 500 miles from Eugene, Oregon, to participate. He’s been growing pumpkins and competing in contests for 22 years. This was the fourth time he’d ever won a weigh-off.

The heaviest pumpkin he’s grown, Pugh said, is 2,023 pounds.

His first time attending the Elk Grove festival was in 2001. His most recent appearance was in 2017, when he earned second place with a weight of 1,786 pounds.

“I love to do it and it’s fun,” Pugh said. “It’s challenging, (but) you meet so many great people and I’ve got friends all around the world because of pumpkin growing. In fact, most of my best friends are pumpkin growers and many of them are here today. So over time, it just kind of becomes your life.”

Pugh said he’s going to give the cash prize to his wife, Tracey, for putting up with his growers’ antics.

She dislikes pumpkin contests, Pugh said, because they’re usually around the same time as their wedding anniversary, Oct. 2.

They’ve been married for 23 years.

The prize money serves as an anniversary gift and also a little bribe for Pugh to enter the contest again next year.

“You win a little money and then your wife says like, ‘Ok, you can do this again,’” Pugh said. “When you don’t win any money, you know, you just try not to mention anything. And then in the next year you start buying things and spending money and, you know, you get a little nudge from the wife, like, ‘Well, you better win this year.’”

Attending Sunday for day two

The festival continues Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors can expect entertainment, food and the highly anticipated Pumpkin Regatta, a race across the lake in the large pumpkins featured in the weigh-off.

This will be the 15th Pumpkin Regatta at the Pumpkin Festival. The race begins at noon.