Pumpkin record is broken at Topsfield Fair

By Billy Baker, Globe Staff

The elusive one-ton pumpkin barrier was shattered Friday at the Topsfield Fair, when Ron Wallace of Greene, R.I., tipped the scales at 2,009 pounds. Wallace was ecstatic when the numbers appeared on the scale, repeatedly yelling “Ron Wallace is back!” and slamming his fist into his chest.

Wallace was the first person to break 1,500 pounds, at the 2006 fair, and had been under a huge amount of pressure to break the ton record after other growers got a peek at his pumpkin patch during a tour last month. At the time, he was growing two huge pumpkins, both of which showed one-ton potential.

Wallace took home $5,500 for first place, plus a $10,000 bonus for being the first to break the one-ton barrier.