COOPERSTOWN _ Giant pumpkins were the main attraction in the village of Cooperstown this weekend.
This was the sixth year that the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce hosted PumpkinFest, an event that includes a weigh-off of harvest goods and a pumpkin race in Otsego Lake.
John O'Boyle, who was visiting his sister, said it was his first time ever seeing the village, as well as attending PumpkinFest.
``I've never seen anything like it,'' he said.
O'Boyle said he had a lot of fun at the event and was ``thrilled'' with the Giant Pumpkin Regatta.
``Next year I would like to get in a pumpkin and try it out for myself,'' he said.
Festivities began with a weigh-off of pumpkins and other fruits Saturday at the Doubleday Field Parking lot, where contestants competed for more than $7,000 in prize money.
David Hilstolsky of Pennsylvania was this year's grand-prize winner of $2,500 for the largest pumpkin. It weighed in at 1,557 pounds.
According to Hilstolsky, the pumpkin beat the Pennsylvania state record by a half-pound. Hilstolsky said he holds the Pennsylvania state record for a regular and for a squash pumpkin, which is a green pumpkin.
According to pumpkinook.com, Quinn Werner of Saegertown, Pa., had the state record with a 1,556.5 pound pumpkin. Dan and Jason McKie of Gasport hold the New York state record with a 1,631.6 pumpkin they grew in 2007, according to the website.
Hilstolsky said he has been growing giant pumpkins since 1996 and this was the first time he has competed at Cooperstown. He said he normally competes at Altoona and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, but did not want to lose his pumpkin.
``I knew I had a really big pumpkin and did not want to take any chances of anything happening to it,'' he said.
Hilstolsky is not the only one in his family that grows large pumpkins. He said his brother John and his family are also successful growers. John's daughter, Nicole, took first place the last two years at Altoona, and his wife, Kerry, took first at Longwood Gardens last year.
Deb and Randy Sunstorm of Walton took third place and $750 with their 1,382-pounder. This was bigger than their 1,248-pound pumpkin that won the weigh-off last year.
On Sunday, pumpkins were hollowed out at Lakefront Park in preparation for the regatta. The regatta consisted of three racing heats, with several first-time paddlers.
Matt Aldirch was one of the few veteran paddlers to participate. Aldirch, who works in the membership/development department at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, said he has been paddling for his place of employment for four years.
"Each year, the hall sends an e-mail asking for a volunteer, and once I did it the organization keeps asking me to row," Aldirch said.
``It's just fun,'' he said. ``How many times can you carve out a pumpkin and row it in a lake?'' Before the pumpkin races began, Aldirch said the best he has ever done was tying for first during his first year of paddling. He said he hoped he had better chances this year as a seasoned veteran.
His wishes came true. Aldirch won the first race, the sponsorship heat, easily in his pumpkin decorated as a baseball.
