HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - The Safeway Half Moon Bay World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off kicked off the city's pumpkin festival on Monday.

Though the growers KTVU spoke to said the art of growing the pumpkin is more than half the fun, there is some huge money on the line for the pumpkin growers.

The winning prize: $9 per pound of winning pumpkin. A world-record setter will win a $30,000 prize.

Last year's winner is back in the competition this year, but he doesn't have a pumpkin this time.

"This year my pumpkin was growing about 40 pounds per day, it got a little pinhole in the blossom, and air eventually got in, and then it rotted.That was about July, so we've been out since July. We grew a real pretty pumpkin. My daughter just loved it. We did welcome another baby this year, so that

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