Pumpkin fair section by Manteca Bulletin

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Pumpkin Fair 2013

The Bulletin-Thursday, October 3, 2013

PERRY: PUMPKIN FAIR PATRIARCH Grower got pumpkin fair idea rolling

PEOPLE

By D E N NI S WY AT T The Bu lletin

There’s a reason why George Perry’s smile seems brighter and bigger this time of year. It’s because the 94-year-old Perry knows literally tens of thousands of kids will rejoice when they pick out one of the pumpkins from 1,000-plus truckloads that will roll out of Manteca from now until Halloween. Most are destined to become Jack-o-Lanterns while others simply will sit on porches and table tops. It’s a good bet that if the pumpkins being used were bought at a retail outlet in California that they probably came from the Manteca area and Perry & Sons are the ones that brokered them to market. More than 7 out of every 10 pumpkins sold commercially in California hail from Manteca. And it was Perry’s love for Manteca that led to the creation of the original Pumpkin Fair at Library Park featuring a couple stacks of the orange fruit and a Pumpkin Queen that was over in a few hours. Today the Pumpkin Fair has morphed into a two-day event attracting 40,000 people to downtown Manteca to celebrate the highprofile crop. “Pumpkins are to Halloween what Christmas trees are to Christmas,” Perry said in an interview several years ago. “It wasn’t always that way.”

Pumpkins are important to Perry & Sons which operates a shipping and packing operation on Frontage Road north of Lathrop Road along Highway 99 and a mile or so south of Manteca’s most high-profile agricultural venture — Delicato Vineyards. But the firm’s mainstay are watermelons. They ship watermelons 365 days a year and work with growers up and down the West Coast, Mexico, and Arizona. Perry & Sons are responsible for setting a standard in seedless watermelons. They grow and pack melons according to sizes wanted by retailers ranging from discount warehouse clubs to supermarkets. Altogether, Perry & Sons will send 1,500 trucks laden with watermelons to market each year. Then there are countless shipments of squash ranging from banana to acorn and assorted other melons. The seeds to Manteca’s pumpkin dynasty were planted a half century ago on three acres near the old Summer Home School site on the southwest corner of Cottage Avenue and Southland Road. Besides the packing operation they have a scale on South Lincoln Street between Moffat Boulevard and the former Kelley Brothers Brewing Co. that sees a steady stream of pumpkin-laden trucks this time of year. There were just a few standard pumpkin varieties when Perry & Son started their first crop a half century ago. Now

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HIME ROMERO/The Bulletin

George Perry — who helped organize the first pumpkin fair event — is flanked by his sons Art Perry, left, and George Jr.

there are literally dozens. They range from the standard Jacko-lantern variety to Atlantic and Super Maxes that can weigh hundred pounds. Pumpkins are still harvested the same way they have for generations. It involves men laboring in the fields cutting the stems and tossing them to another worker atop a wagon being pulled by a tractor. It is a scene that has been played over for decades in the fields around Manteca. It is depicted in the “Pitching Pumpkins” mural painted on the southerly facing wall of Angles Beauty Salon in the 100 block of North Main Street. Back in the 1970s, the late Pat O’Leary approached Perry to get a fair started in Manteca. But what was gnawing at O’Leary were claims by Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County that they were the Pumpkin Capital of the World. The coastal town still has a pumpkin festival today that has worldwide notoriety by attracting hobby growers trying to bust the 2,000-pound mark for pumpkins. Manteca put down a challenge. Perry remembers flying over in a small band of aircraft and being treated like VIPs by Half Moon Bay leaders at a dinner. When the time came for Manteca’s contingent to throw down the gauntlet, Perry declined to do so. “We were friends with the people in Half Moon Bay,”

Perry recalled. “We didn’t want to make problems for them.” The trip — and challenge — ended up getting Manteca on the cover of “People” magazine. Perry’s father Delfino Perry had no intention of building one of the West Coast’s largest melon brokering and growing firms when he planted his first crop 78 years ago. He was just pursuing his dream of a better life in America with the aim of keeping family together and faith in God strong. Today that dream is going strong with three generations working side-by-side yearround bringing farmers and retailers together by growing, brokering and distributing a wide repertoire of melons including watermelons and pumpkins. The pioneer Perry’s main beliefs were family and God. He didn’t want to leave his family in the Azores but he needed to provide for his own family. It is the reason Delfino left the Azores in 1906 via Ellis Island. He ended up in California in 1906 first landing in San Luis Obispo and in Oakland and eventually making his way to Modesto before settling Manteca. He started a small dairy on Jack Tone Road and started growing sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and watermelon. His

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brother farmed on Brunswick Road where the Perry & Sons main yard is now located just north of Manteca. During the Great Depression, his brother opted to find employment in Oakland which is how Delfino came to farm on Brunswick Road. Perry & Sons pumpkins started on handshake George Perry & Sons’ pumpkin business was born on a handshake with the late Antone Raymus. George Sr. wanted to farm acreage that Raymus owned near the old Summer Home School on Cottage Avenue. They came to an agreement that Raymus would get a share of the crop receipts as payment for use of the land. When George Sr. wanted to put it in writing Raymus refused noting that a handshake was good enough for him. It is philosophy of “doing the right thing” by customers that has made the name “Perry & Sons” synonymous with quality and dependability among clients ranging from chain stores to chain restaurants. While Perry & Sons is a dominant force in the California watermelon and pumpkin market, they have also extended sales farther east to Colorado and even New Jersey thanks to firms looking for assurances of quality and timely delivery.

Manteca is the major source of California pumpkins with more than 70 percent of the crop grown around the community. It is for the same reason watermelons that come from here are considered among the best thanks to soil conditions, hot days, and cool nights. The Perry family has applied science with marketing, business savvy, personal relationships, farm know-how, and even international business expertise to become a force in the melon business. Perry & Sons ship as far away as Japan. But it is what they — and other growers — have done with the melon itself that is the most important. Back when George Sr. started out markets wanted big 20-pound watermelons that were known as “stripers” for what appears as alternating yellow and green stripes. Then it was the bright green watermelons. Today there are numerous species with “numbered variations” such as the one that develops the sweetest watermelon from Manteca soil. Consumers started eating more watermelon when growers found ways to give them the seedless variety they wanted by cross-pollination. And now the rage are socalled personal watermelons. To contact Dennis Wyatt, e-mail dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com

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Pumpkin Fair 2013

The Bulletin-Thursday, October 3, 2013

PUMPKIN FAIR MAIN STAGE

From Latin to rock to country, it’s all at the fair MUSIC

By V I N C E REMBUL AT The Bu lletin

Several bands will take the main stage at the 29th annual Manteca Pumpkin Fair. Jim Anderson and the Rebels, for example, will perform some rockabilly while the 209 All Stars might slip in a tune from Van Morrison or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The two-day event hosted by the Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis is expected to attract over 30,000 to the downtown area near Library Park. The performers on the main stage include: SATURDAY Gotcha Covered (2 p.m.) Gotcha Covered is a band of area musicians who, well, covers a wide variety of music. They cover songs from Journey, Maroon 5, Carrie Underwood, Pat Benatar, Outkast, Sublime, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Modest Mouse and Taio Cruz, to name a few. Gotcha Covered takes “extra effort to make the song sound like you’re listening to original artists live,” according to the band’s official web page, www.gotchacoveredmodesto.com. Laura Poindexter is among the lead vocals. She also plays keyboard and is joined by Jeff Rankin on bass / vocals, Ben Isganitis on drums / vocals, and Shawn Reynolds on guitar / vocals / synthesizer. Jim Anderson and the Rebels (4 p.m.) They won the hearts and respect of thousands of Elvis Presley fans. Jim Anderson and the Rebels continue to headline main stages, playing Oldies, Country and, yes, Elvis, throughout this year. “I feel extremely blessed to have such wonderful fans and audiences at every show,” said Anderson of Manteca and a retired sheriff. “I truly enjoy performing and I’m very humbled that so many folks come to the show to see us.” People of all ages and all music fans continue to enjoy Jim Anderson and The Rebels. They’ll do a weekend tribute to Elvis’ early years. Click on to www. jimandersonandtherebels. com for more information. Threshold (6 p.m.) Threshold is a Modestobased party band and no stranger to the Pumpkin Fair. They’ll again perform 1960s and ‘70s Rock, Motown, and R&B to festival goers. This six-piece horn ensemble was inspired by the likes of Tower of Power, Chicago, the Blue Brothers, and Wilson Pickett, to name a few.

Jim Anderson and The Rebels

Mario Flores and Friends

Chris Creek Highwater Blues

Threshold

One of the band’s biggest thrills was being joined by Mic Gillett, a lead trumpet player for Tower of Power and former Mantecan, for several shows. Mike Collins and John de Jonge have been playing together in various bands since 1998. In 2003, they helped form Threshold. Click on to www.threshold-rocks.com for more information. SUNDAY Mario Flores (11 a.m.) Mario Flores is an impressive conga player with over 25 years of experience. He performs Latin jazz

209 All Stars

and salsa music with his 10-man musical ensemble playing the greats of Tito Puente and Cal Tjader. Couple that with the band’s original tunes in cha-cha, rumba, mambo, and AfroCuban style. Flores was born and raised in Modesto. He grew up listening to Woody Herman, Count Bassie and others from his father’s vintage record collection. At 17, he purchased his first set of conga drums in San Francisco, studying Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz rhythm. Click on to www.mariolfloreslatinmusic.com.

Chris Creek (1 p.m.) The Chris Creek Band hails from Manteca but plays it’s sound originates from deep in the heart of Texas. That’s because Creek was born and raised just outside of Austin. At age 4, he was influenced to play and sing country music after seeing Don Williams perform in San Angelo. His other influences include Conway Twitty, Mark Chestnutt, George Strait, and Tracy Byrd. Creek, who played in his first band in the early 1990s, made the decision to move to California in 2011. Soon

after, he formed the Chris Creek Band, made up of experienced musicians. The Chris Creek Band has opened for the likes of Justin Moore, Kip Moore, and Eric Church. For more information, log on to www.chriscreekband. com. 209 All Stars (3 p.m.) They’re the Central Valley’s No. 1 variety band. The 209 All Stars are made up of top-notched players from the area, performing a mix of Rock, pop, Reggae, acoustic, alternative, and R&B, from Johnny Cash to Bruno Mars, Metallica and Michael Jackson.

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They’ve performed at many events throughout the area, including Lincoln Live, the Tracy Bean Festival, the Lodi Grape Festival, and, of course, the Pumpkin Fair, to name a few. The 209 All Stars consists of “Funky Tim” Helbling on guitar / lead vocals, Rudy Escajeda on lead vocals / saxophone, “Dr. Obscene” Justin Jones on lead guitar, Brandon Michael on bass guitar / vocals, and Jim Ayala on drums. Ron Meyers (drums), Allen Mehlhaff (bass) and Patrick Teczon (bass) also help out. For more information, log on to www.209allstars.com.

Pumpkin Fair 2013

The Bulletin-Thursday, October 3, 2013

NEW HAUNTS FOR 29th PUMPKIN FAIR Teen groups help create haunted house adventure By VINCE REMBULAT

HIME ROMERO / The Bulletin

Morgan Caperon of the Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis, backrow, and George Perry, center, is joined by local “zombies” Samantha Farrell, Joseph Ensslin and Paul Devers.

DONORS

Pumpkin Fair gives $550,000 to non-profits

The Sunrise Kiwanis have raised more than $550,000 for local non-profits in the 29 years they have staged the Manteca Pumpkin Fair. This year’s main benefactors are Agape Villages, the Boys & Girls Club of Manteca/Lathrop, and the Manteca Memorial Day Celebration. Among the benefactors over the years have been: u Acorn Basketball League u Agape Villages u American Cancer Society u American Heart Association u Babe Ruth Baseball League u Big Brothers & Big Sisters u Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts u Boys & Girls Club of Manteca \ Lathrop u Campfire Girls u Career Clothes Closet (Manteca) u Police Chief’s Foundation u Child Abuse Prevention Council u Christmas Parade u Christmas Baskets u Community Center For The Blind u Cub Scouts u Delta Humane Society u Demolay u Easter Seal Society u East Union, Manteca & Sierra High Sober Graduation u East Union High Key Club u East Union High Band Uniforms u Every 15 Minutes u Fire Chiefs Foundation u Flags Over Manteca u 4th of July Parade u Give Every Child A Chance u Golden State Karate Association (Manteca) u Hope Family Shelter & Raymus House u Manteca 4th Of July Celebration & Parade u Thanksgiving Food Baskets u Haven of Peace u Hospice of San Joaquin County u Joe Buckman/George Hirsch Scholarship (Calla, Manteca, East Union & Sierra High Schools) u Junior Olympics u Kiwanis Family House (for families of hospitalized children) u Make-A-Wish Foundation u Manteca High Band u Manteca High Kiwins Club u Manteca Historical Society u Manteca Hall of Fame u Manteca Memorial Day Celebration u Manteca Mural Society u Manteca Prayer Breakfast u Manna Ministries u Manteca Chamber Of Commerce u Manteca CAPS u Manteca Motor and K-9 Unit u Manteca Library u Manteca Little League u Manteca Senior Center u Manteca Youth Focus u Muscular Dystrophy u MUSD Homeless Students u Operation Christmas u Ray of Hope u Salvation Army u Second Harvest Food Bank u South County Crimestoppers u South County Crisis Center u St. Vincent DePaul Society u Special Olympics u S.H.A.R.P. (Manteca Police Dept.)

P U M P K I N

T he Bul l et in

PEOPLE

Morgan Caperon has lived in Manteca since 1970. In his over 20 years of working the Manteca Pumpkin Fair, he doesn’t recall a haunted house as ever being part of the event. That’s until now. The Manteca Sunrise Kiwanis is bringing back the haunted house for the 29th annual Manteca Pumpkin Fair under Caperon’s leadership. “This will give us the means to give back to our non-profit (groups),” he said on Wednesday. A Sunrise Kiwanis member and manager at J&J Printing, Caperon is using his business at 129 W. Yosemite Ave. as “Spunky’s Hollow” haunted house. Spunky is the Sunrise Kiwanis mascot. Caperon is looking to place a banner outside J&J Printing, reading: “Zombies

Invade Manteca.” His plans also call for putting the entry door to the haunted house on the Yosemite Avenue side of the business. The windows will be blacked out with seven or eight displays located inside. Students from the local Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp and Venture Academy will be dressed up like zombies. Cost is $2. Proceeds will benefit the Sierra High Class of 2014, Valley CAPS, Troop 442, Heart and Hands, Venture Academy, the Manteca High and East Union JROTC, Starting Point and one local volleyball club. The “Spunky Hollow” haunted house will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6. For more information, call (209) 740-0548.

F A I R

C A R N I V A L

The Sunrise Kiwanis Pumpkin Fair carnival takes place today through Sunday, Oct. 6, at the JC Penney parking lot at The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley, the 120 Bypass and Union Road. Hours are today and Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. To reach the carnival from the downtown Pumpkin Fair take Main Street south across the 120 Bypass and turn right on Atherton Drive. Turn into The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley and go to the northern parking lot. HIME ROMERO/ The Bulletin

PUMPKINS, PEOPLE & FUN 29th Pumpkin Manteca Fair downtown this weekend EVENTS

B y DE NNIS WY A TT M a n t e ca ( C a l i f .) B u l l e t i n

Pumpkin fun rolls into downtown Manteca Saturday and Sunday for the 29th annual Pumpkin Fair. The weekend includes: • Main Stage entertainment ranging from Jim Anderson and the Rebels with their popular salute to Elvis Presley to up-and-coming country singer Chris Creek. • Nearly 150 vendors offering everything from arts and crafts and unique commercial items to free stuff. • Free pumpkin games for kids including pie eating, pumpkin seed spitting, and pumpkin rolling. • Haunted house. • Car show on Sunday. • Street fair food. Picture-perfect autumn weather — some clouds and a high of around 80 degrees both days, are expected to make the 29th annual edition of the Sunrise Kiwanis Pumpkin Fair ideal for people watching as well. How Manteca tradition started The Manteca tradition started more than four decades ago as a way to demonstrate community pride after the upstart Half Moon Bay folks tried to declare they were the Pumpkin Capital of the World. That’s kind of hard to claim, of course, when almost 80

FAST FACTS u WHAT: 29th annual Sunrise Kiwanis downtown Manteca Pumpkin Fair u WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days u WHERE: Downtown Manteca in the triangle formed by Center Street, Main Street and the railroad tracks u ADMISSION: Free u SCHEDULE: See Pumpkin Fair map on Page 5 percent of the commercially grown pumpkin crop in California comes from the fields surrounding Manteca. The original pumpkin fair was put together by pumpkin growers who piled a bunch of pumpkins and hay stacks in Library Park and had an impromptu crowning of Miss Manteca Pumpkin. That led to a challenge from Half Moon Bay, press coverage in “People” magazine, and the birth of a Manteca tradition. The fair kept getting bigger and started pulling in big-name acts when they were hot including Tim Herdon. The fair also moved from venue to venue each year. Twenty-nine years ago the Sunrise Kiwanis took over the event and eventually returned it to its roots downtown. They found out that good old-fashioned, laid back, hometown fun was the way to go. They routinely draw 40,000 people over the twoday fair to the downtown triangle formed by Center Street, Main Street, and the railroad tracks.

By keeping the event free, they were able to make it affordable as a simple family outing. As entertainment goes it’s pretty tough to beat watching kids bury their faces into slices of pumpkin pie with their hands behind their back, trying to spit pumpkin seeds, rolling pumpkins or any of the Tom Sawyer/ Huckleberry Finn type of games that are all free. Longtime Manteca residents also know the best place to buy pumpkins is at the Kid Zone given the pricing made possible through generous donations of the orange gourds to the service club from area pumpkin growers. Kiwanis do it all for free so they can serve non-profits It takes more than 30-40 volunteers working year round to pull off the event. No one is paid allowing all of the proceeds to be plowed right back into the community. To date, more than $550,000 has been raised by the Kiwanis that in turn was distributed to various community-based concerns.

EVENT

Pumpkin Run set for downtown Saturday Since 2012 the Faustina Rosas Memorial Pumpkin Run has served as a major fundraiser for the Manteca Unified Student Trust. MUST, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2006 by a group of community members, elected officials, and educators as a way of providing assistance to youngsters of the district. Included was the current after-school sports program in place of the defunct Acorn League. Organizers of the Pumpkin Run planned for Saturday, Oct. 5, are hoping for further support in terms of the participants for the annual event. The 1-mile and 5-kilometer runs will take place along the city streets and bike path. Registration takes place at the corner of Center Street and the bike path north of Library Park. Registration starts at 7 a.m. Saturday. The one mile race starts at 8 a.m., the 5K race at 8:30 a.m. and the awards at 10 a.m. On race day, the fee is $25.

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Pumpkin Fair 2013

The Bulletin-Thursday, October 3, 2013

PUMPKIN PICASSO Local mother picks paint brushes over carving knives By JAMES BURNS The Bulletin

TOP PHOTO: Zoey Peyton Whitaker, 1, blends in with the pumpkins painted by her mother Emily Whitaker, the president of the Manteca Artist Guild. BOTTOM PHOTO: Emily Whitaker chooses to paint her pumpkins rather than carve them because it’s a cleaner, safer, kidfriendly technique. Photo contributed

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Photo contributed

u Non-toxic acrylic paints u Paper plate palette u Paint brushes, multiple sizes u Paper towels (to blot brushes) u Baby wipes or wet wash clothes u Old T-shirt or kids’ art apron u Newspaper and/or old sheets

Emily Whitaker, president of the Manteca Artist Guild

First and foremost, it’s a safer, kid-friendly practice. even the parents all love the Parents don’t have to worry painted pumpkins,” Whitaker about their children handling carving knives and other tools. said. Instead, Whitaker says lay She got her ideas from searching Google and Pinter- out newspaper or an old sheet, est, a popular pin-board photo- pick up non-toxic acrylic paint sharing site that allows people and multiple brushes, and let to create and manage images creativity and imagination take over. based on themes. “Makes sure to have baby Many join Pinterest to gather ideas on home décor, recipes, wipes handy,” Whitaker suggested. Like the unharmed pumpkin, the acrylic paint will last the duration of the Halloween season. Whitaker says it will dry fast and won’t — EMILY WHITAKER peel over time. She favors the Apple Barrel brand because and yes, pumpkin art. She called last fall’s cre- it is a water-based, non-toxic ations “Punkin’ Picasso,” and acrylic that cleans up with soap this season she plans a more and water. Whitaker advises pumpkin ambitious set of paintings. Whitaker has already painters to avoid using the selected a few muses: The Min- color orange, unless it’s on a white pumpkin. She also says ions of Despicable Me fame. “Just got to find the perfect white paint on top of black will pumpkin,” she said of Gru’s give the painting a 3-dimenlovable, mischievous side- sional effect. To contact James Burns, kicks. There are a few obvious ben- e-mail jburns@mantecabulleefits to painting pumpkins. tin.com.

“Every trick-or-treater, from young babies to older kids and even the parents all love the painted pumpkins.”

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The pumpkins that go home with the Whitaker family may be among the safest in all the county. And some of the prettiest, too. This holiday season, much like the last, Emily Whitaker will choose a paint brush over carving knives and cookie cutters. The pumpkins will live a much longer life at the Whitaker household, where their shell and guts won’t be disturbed, stabbed, scraped or punched. Instead, they’ll be tickled by the tip of Whitaker’s brushes. Whitaker takes an unconventional approach to an often messy, sometimes dangerous Halloween pastime: Pumpkin decoration. She stays true to her roots. The president of the Manteca Artist Guild and accomplished painter prefers acrylic paints, paper palettes and brushes to sharp tools. “I prefer to paint because it’s less messy ... sometimes,” she said. “And the pumpkin does not go rotten as fast.” Whitaker began painting her pumpkins last fall, choosing traditional images to decorate her front porch. On one, Whitaker painted a black cat with a menacing stare and long, slender neck, its tail curled up behind it. On the other, there was a bat in flight, its wings stretching across the small gourd. The third and final pumpkin bore the words “Boo” and “Eek,” with intermittent splashes of black and white. She chose a cartoonish style for each, “so children and my baby wouldn’t be frightened,” she said. Case in point: Whitaker keeps photos of her 1-year-old, Zoey Peyton Whitaker, sitting amid her painted creations, clutching a small pumpkin. Fittingly, she was dressed for the occasion. Baby Zoey wore an orange and green ribbon crown and a “first halloween” bib. “Every trick-or-treater, from young babies to older kids and

OTHER PUMPKIN PLANS

Here are a few alternative uses for pumpkins this Halloween season, courtesy of the website Earth911: u PUMPKIN PUREE: Scoop out the flesh and puree it in a food processor. Then, use it in your favorite recipes, from pies to pancakes to cocktails. u PUMPKIN PLANTER: Hollow out your pumpkin and use as a planter. After a few days, plant the entire thing in the ground. The pumpkin acts as a natural fertilizer. u PUMPKIN PRETTY: Pumpkins are rich in zinc and vitamins A, C and E, and the puree (mixed with brown sugar and milk) is healthy for the skin. u FEED WILDLIFE: Old pumpkins are a tasty treat for deer. Feed raw seeds to birds. u PUMPKIN BOWLS: Hollow out a pumpkin, brush the inside and top with vegetable oil and dust with desired seasonings and bake on 350 degrees for 35 minutes. The result: A soup or dip bowl. Learn other ways to save time, money and resources with innovative and inspiring ideas at www.earth911.com.

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B L A N K E T S F O R N E E D Y K I D S

Photo contributed

The Manteca Children’s Foundation will have collection boxes throughout the Pumpkin Fair for people to donate blankets that will be distributed to needy kids in the Manteca area.

PUMPKIN TRIVIA u Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack. uPumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A. uPumpkins are used for feed for animals. uPumpkin flowers are edible. uPumpkins are used to make soups, pies and breads. uThe largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake. uPumpkins are members of the vine crops family called cucurbits. uPumpkins originated in Central America. uIn early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling. uPumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. uPumpkins range in size from less than a pound to over 1,000 pounds. uThe largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds. uThe name pumpkin orginated from “pepon” – the Greek word for “large melon.” uPumpkins are 90 percent water. uPumpkins are fruit.