August 26th 2000 – Shutesbury, MA

The N.E.P.G.A Summer Cookout was a great success. Wayne Dorman and Diane Jacoby hosted this year’s event, and they did a splendid job of it. The weather cooperated for the first time in a long time, and we were blessed with a warm and sunny day. The food was excellent, and there was plenty of it! The meal was topped off with this great cake.

A sizeable crowd turned out. Although not as many people came as last year, it was still the pumpkin place to be that weekend. Many of New England’s heavy hitters were available to field questions and offer stories from years past. Round-Up (the official chemical of the N.H.G.P.G.A.) and Captan jokes were popular.

Our own Ken Desrosiers won the second annual cull weigh off by a landslide! Rosie, his 600 lb heartbreak (rib split) won him the honor of holding the trophy until next year. In an impromptu ceremony, Alan Reynolds (the previous champ) and Hugh Wieburg passed it down to Ken.

On a personal note, we were extremely impressed with the number of BigPumpkins.com T-Shirts being worn. Thanks for the support!

Another shot of the crowd…