By Haven Daley and Olga R. Rodriguez | Associated Press

HALF MOON BAY — A North Bay engineer and gardening enthusiast won the top prize at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,346 pounds.

Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, clinched the victory Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay.

Dawson pumped his arms in the air and sat his two children on top of the giant pumpkin — roughly the same weight as a small sedan or a large bison — after being crowned this year’s winner. • Giant pumpkins are raised by fork lifts before being weighed at the 52nd annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) • A giant pump

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