Charlie Bernstrom from Lancaster, Minnesota has repeated as champion of the Roland Pumpkin Fair Great Pumpkin Commonwealth weigh-off far surpassing his winning weight last year by clocking in at 1,753.5 pounds. Bernstrom's prize-winning pumpkin was 255 pounds heavier than his 2017 entry that was 1.498.5 pounds.

"Like I said last year, you get them to the scale, and it makes you feel pretty good, there's a lot of stress that goes on throughout the year," said Bernstrom shortly after finding out he was the winner.

Bernstrom suspected his pumpkin would be pushing 1,800 pounds, and was happy to see his estimation nearly become reality when it was placed on the scale by a tractor with a forklift.

Like Southern Manitoba, the Lancaster area was also hot and very dry this summer, receiving just an inch of rain from July 1st until mid-September. He poured 35,000 gallons of water on his three giant pumpkin plants to keep them growing this season.

This is Bernstrom's fifth season growing giant pumpkins, and he shared some of his tips for raising a monster. "Fertilize a lot, every day they get fertilizer.... lots of water, you've got to spray fungicide and insecticide for the bugs and disease, and just a lot of care and luck, and weather."

As an experienced grower, and now a two time Roland Pumpkin Fair Champion, he was happy to see several first-time growers competing that were both young and young at heart.

"Everybody's so nice, they help out," noted Bernstrom. "There's really no secrets. If somebody asks, you'll tell them, because you want everybody to come and experience this."

Coming in second place, and setting a new Manitoba grown record during Saturday's weigh-off, was Cornie Banman of Schanzenfeld with a pumpkin weighing 1,522 pounds. Rounding out the top three was 2015 and 2016 champion Milan Lukes of Winnipeg who brought a pumpkin that tipped the scales at 1,369.5 pounds.

During the competition, prizes were also handed out for heaviest squash, tomato and watermelon.