Are you looking for something new to do in Iowa this fall? Try a trip to Anamosa, the weirdly wonderful Pumpkin Capital of Iowa!
In 1993, by the authority of the Iowa State Legislature, the pumpkin capital of Iowa was officially named.
Infrogmation / Wikipedia
The town selected for this high honor was Anamosa, Iowa.
J. Stephen Conn / Flickr
What’s so pumpkinesque about Anamosa, Iowa? Well, this little town began hosting a pumpkin weigh off several years prior to this designation – an event that had grown in popularity to the point that the state legislature took notice!
Anamosa Pumpkinfest and Weigh off / Facebook
Anomasa has embraced the designation; and each fall, this little Iowa town fills to the brim with pumpkins.
Anamosa Pumpkinfest and Weigh off / Facebook
Take the fall festival held annually in Anamosa, for example. Anamosa’s Pumpkinfest is good, old-fashioned fun, drawing thousands to this small town.
Anamosa Pumpkinfest and Weigh off / Facebook
One of the centerpieces of the festival is the Ryan Norlan Giant pumpkin weigh off. This competition, a continuation of the original pumpkin weigh off, no longer satisfies itself with just finding the largest pumpkin in the county or state, which it does have categories and prizes for. No, now it aims to find the most gargantuan pumpkins in the world!
Ude / Wikipedia It helps that the prize for first place is $5,500, and also that there are prizes all the way down to $30 for 15th place. Curious how much the heaviest pumpkin weighed in the 30 years since the weigh off has been running? It was over a ton (an incredible, mind-boggling 2,114 pounds) and grown by a couple from Wisconsin in 2020.
One thing is for sure, stay out of that pumpkin’s way or you might get squashed. And who knows what sizes subsequent years will bring!
Anamosa Pumpkinfest and Weigh off / Facebook Make it a fall tradition to take a leaf-peeping drive through Iowa to Anamosa to pick out a pumpkin from Iowa’s pumpkin capital. Or come a bit before the leaves reach their peak and catch the actual weekend of Pumpkinfest - always the first Saturday in October.
What other quirky “capitals” are hiding in Iowa besides the Pumpkin Capital? We know about a few of them already – the Flag Capital, for example!
Infrogmation / Wikipedia
J. Stephen Conn / Flickr
Anamosa Pumpkinfest and Weigh off / Facebook
Ude / Wikipedia
It helps that the prize for first place is $5,500, and also that there are prizes all the way down to $30 for 15th place. Curious how much the heaviest pumpkin weighed in the 30 years since the weigh off has been running? It was over a ton (an incredible, mind-boggling 2,114 pounds) and grown by a couple from Wisconsin in 2020.
Make it a fall tradition to take a leaf-peeping drive through Iowa to Anamosa to pick out a pumpkin from Iowa’s pumpkin capital. Or come a bit before the leaves reach their peak and catch the actual weekend of Pumpkinfest - always the first Saturday in October.
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Address: Anamosa, IA 52205, USA
