Local boy grows giant pumpkin: Wins ribbon at 2023 State Fair of Virginia

Kristi K. Higgins, Petersburg Progress-Index
Updated ·3 min read
Pumpkin grower ten-year-old Christian Covey of Stony Creek poses with his 669-pound giant pumpkin at the State Fair of Virginia at Meadow Event Park in Doswell on Saturday, Sept. 23. He earned a Great Pumpkin Commonwealth fifth place rosette ribbon.
Pumpkin grower ten-year-old Christian Covey of Stony Creek poses with his 669-pound giant pumpkin at the State Fair of Virginia at Meadow Event Park in Doswell on Saturday, Sept. 23. He earned a Great Pumpkin Commonwealth fifth place rosette ribbon.

DOSWELL — The State Fair of Virginia has entertained people, young and old, since 1854. At Meadow Event Park, the annual event entertained fairgoers with carnival games, rides, concerts, a variety of entertainment as well as agricultural, historical and livestock exhibitions September 22 through October 1.

This year, the daily entertainment included FireGuy, the number one fire-eater in the world, Cast in Bronze, a unique musical experience with carillon bells, the comic duo Dan-Dan the Farmer Man and his Scarecrow Sidekick, racing pigs, a stunt show and the Triple Crown Circus under The Big Top.

Some people competed in the Culinary & Creative Arts, Horticulture & Field Crops, 4-H and FFA, Livestock and Equine competitions. Ten-year-old Christian Covey of Stony Creek was the only youth to enter the Giant Pumpkin competition. The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth [GPC] official Weigh-Off took place on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Ten-year-old Christian Covey of Stony Creek poses with his giant pumpkin in Stony Creek, Va. in September 2023.
Ten-year-old Christian Covey of Stony Creek poses with his giant pumpkin in Stony Creek, Va. in September 2023.

"His 669-pound giant came in fifth place out of 20-plus pumpkins," Jason Covey, Christian's father, said. "Everyone was impressed. After Christian was awarded his rosette ribbon, he made a speech about how he grew his giant and shared his plans for the 2024 season."

The GPC's mission cultivates the hobby of growing giant pumpkins and other giant fruits throughout the world by establishing standards and regulations that ensure quality of fruit, fairness of competition, recognition of achievement, fellowship and education for all participating growers, and weigh-off sites.

According to Christian's mom, Melissa Covey, her husband's friend Ryan Cook of Jumping Branch, W.Va. won first-place for his 1009-pound pumpkin. In the Giant Veggie Weigh-Off, Cook's 55.2 pound field pumpkin also took first place.

"Since Christian was a baby, he's always had an eye for giant things. He has always loved giant trucks and horses, and he got inspired to try his hand at growing giants when he found out about giant veggies at a local fair," Melissa said. "He had a very rough start in life as he suffered with seizures from the age of five weeks old up until he was four. Doctors never could pinpoint a cause."

Due to his speech impairment, Christian could not keep up with other children his age at school, so his parents decided to homeschool him this year.

"Christian does not let his learning disabilities stop him. He is still a spunky, little boy who enjoys his farm life with his goats and other livestock," Melissa shared.

Last year, Christian managed to grow a 550-pound pumpkin, but days before the Weigh-Off, the stem got infected and started to rot. State Fair representatives heard about Christian's misfortune, printed out pictures of his giant pumpkin and invited him to share what happened with the crowd.

Fairgoers check out the entries at the ninth annual Dinwiddie County Fair in 2019.
Fairgoers check out the entries at the ninth annual Dinwiddie County Fair in 2019.

"We are so overjoyed by the outpouring love and support by local friends and family who have been here to help support our son," Melissa said. "We can't wait to see what the future holds for the 2024 growing season. We wish everyone the best of luck!"

If conditions are favorable, Christian plans to plant pumpkin seeds earlier next year. He will be jolly if he ends up growing an even larger giant. Christian's award-winning giant will be on display at the Dinwiddie County Fair at Virginia Motorsports Park October 6 - 8.

"This Friday, we need to be at the drag strip by 8 a.m. We're entering our big squash too," Melissa said.

"Our son has worked hard at this and wants other kids to join in with him to learn about growing giants and raising your own veggies as well as learning about 4-H," Christian's dad said.

Visit statefairva.org for more information about the State Fair of Virginia, and visit dinwiddieva.us to learn more about the Dinwiddie County Fair.

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— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia State Fair: Local boy's giant pumpkin wins ribbon