Frias first won the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, the festival’s main event, in 2009, which is also when he first began growing giant pumpkins. This year he grew the giant gourd in Napa for 180 days to achieve its final size, earning him a $7,000 prize along with bragging rights throughout Northern California pumpkin patches.

Pumpkin growers on Friday hauled the heftiest of their harvest to the Topsfield Fair, which opened its 10-day run with the 40th Annual All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off.

Leticia Ordaz reports from the Giant Pumpkin Festival in Elk Grove. Yahoo Personal Finance