The Great Pumpkin Race

Each fall, farmers across the country bring their biggest pumpkins to county fairs. They compete to see who grew the heaviest gourd that year. The pumpkins often weigh more than 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds)!

Giant pumpkins usually don’t have a good flavor, so they aren’t used for food. But at some festivals, growers put plump pumpkins to another use—they turn them into boats! In competitive pumpkin boat races, contestants hollow out their pumpkins, then sit inside and paddle them through the water. 

Each fall, farmers across the country bring their biggest pumpkins to county fairs. They compete to see who grew the heaviest gourd that year. The pumpkins often weigh more than 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds)!

Giant pumpkins usually don't have a good flavor. This means they aren't used for food. But at some festivals, growers put plump pumpkins to another use. They turn them into boats! In competitive pumpkin boat races, contestants hollow out their pumpkins. Then they sit inside. Then they paddle the boats through the water. 

Jaja Martin is an expert pumpkin racer. She won last year's pumpkin regatta in Damariscotta, Maine. There are several pumpkin boat races across North America. This is one of them.

Picking the right pumpkin is important, says Martin. An oval-shaped pumpkin moves through the water better. Smaller pumpkins are faster. This makes them easier to paddle than rounder ones. But if a pumpkin boat is too small, it tips over easily. Martin thinks a good pumpkin boat should weigh about 450 pounds. That’s before it's carved. 

After picking their pumpkins, the rowers carve them into boats. They cut a circle out of one side and scoop out the insides.

If you think a giant pumpkin produces pounds of gooey pumpkin guts, you’d be mistaken, says Martin. The big gourds are actually much less messy than a typical pumpkin.

Jaja Martin is an expert pumpkin racer. She won last year's pumpkin regatta in Damariscotta, Maine. There are several pumpkin boat races across North America. This is one of them.

Picking the right pumpkin is important, says Martin. An oval-shaped pumpkin moves through the water better. Smaller pumpkins are faster. This makes them easier to paddle than rounder ones. But if a pumpkin boat is too small, it tips over easily. Martin thinks a good pumpkin boat should weigh about 450 pounds. That’s before it's carved. 

First the rowers pick out their pumpkins. Then they carve them into boats. They cut a circle out of one side. After, they scoop out the insides.

Giant pumpkins don’t actually have very much goo inside, says Martin. The big gourds are actually much less messy than a typical pumpkin.

Some racers decorate their pumpkins with props, paint, or flags. Last year, Martin decorated her pumpkin as Pikachu, the Pokémon character.

Just because a pumpkin floats doesn’t mean it’s easy to paddle, says Martin. “It takes a lot of muscle to get it to go,” she says.

Last year, onlookers cheered in the rain as Martin neared the end of the race. The only contestants left were Martin and her two younger brothers. Everyone else had fallen into the water. Martin crossed the finish line in first place.

“I had so much fun,” says Martin, who plans to race again this year. 

Some racers decorate their pumpkins. They add props, paint, or flags to their boats. Last year, Martin decorated her pumpkin as Pikachu, the Pokémon character.

Just because a pumpkin floats doesn't mean it's easy to paddle, says Martin. "It takes a lot of muscle to get it to go," she says.

Martin remembers last year’s race happily. As she neared the end of the race, onlookers cheered in the rain. The only contestants left were Martin and her two younger brothers. Everyone else had fallen into the water. Martin crossed the finish line. She won first place.

"I had so much fun," says Martin. She plans to race again this year. 

For last year’s festival in Damariscotta, Martin’s pumpkin weighed 471 pounds before she carved it into the winning boat. Let’s say Martin wanted to round that number to the nearest ten. She began by plotting the number in unit form on the following number line:

For last year’s festival in Damariscotta, Martin’s pumpkin weighed 471 pounds before she carved it into the winning boat. Let’s say Martin wanted to round that number to the nearest ten. She began by plotting the number in unit form on the following number line: