New Concord resident takes home the title of King Pumpkin with 1,950-pound whopper

Heather Sevigny
·1 min read

BARNESVILLE − The 59th annual Barnesville Pumpkin Festival crowned a new king pumpkin on Wednesday evening. The 1,950-pound whopper was grown by New Concord resident Bill Neptune.

Neptune, who had won king pumpkin numerous times in the past, brought the giant pumpkin and waited patiently until the very last minute to get the official weight. Neptune will receive $2 for every pound of the pumpkin, which will be on display at the festival over the weekend and will be auctioned off at 5 p.m. Saturday. Typically after the festival, the seeds from the winning pumpkin will be for sale to the public and interested growers.

Bill Neptune, center, with family and his 2023 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival King Pumpkin. The 1,950-pound pumpkin will be on display throughout the four-day event.
Bill Neptune, center, with family and his 2023 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival King Pumpkin. The 1,950-pound pumpkin will be on display throughout the four-day event.

Coming in sixth place in the weigh-off was the Belmont County Correctional Institution. Inmates at the facility have been working all summer and managed to grow a 1,476-pound pumpkin for the festival, using little to no tools at all.

Warden David Gray was on hand to deliver the giant and receive the accolades on behalf of the prisoners. The Pumpkin Festival committee had fielded calls earlier in the day from other Ohio-based correctional facilities regarding the pumpkin's weight, as they compete against each other with a trophy that goes back and forth to the winners.

A 1,476-pound pumpkin grown by inmates at the Belmont Correctional Institution. The giant took sixth place in the weigh-in at the annual Barnesville Pumpkin Festival.
A 1,476-pound pumpkin grown by inmates at the Belmont Correctional Institution. The giant took sixth place in the weigh-in at the annual Barnesville Pumpkin Festival.

The festival continues through Sunday, with the Giant Pumpkin Parade, one of the largest and longest parades in southeastern Ohio, taking place at 1 p.m. Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: New Concord man takes home 2023 King Pumpkin title