MEADOW VISTA - Nearly 400 square feet of Doug Olsen's rural back yard have been taken over by a giant 600-plus-pound gourd - and it's still growing. Olsen is one of roughly 30 giant pumpkin growers vying for first place in Saturday's pumpkin weigh-off at the 11th annual Auburn Community Festival to be held at Auburn's Recreation Park. "This one measures about 690 pounds," Olsen said. "But white ones weigh heavy, so I'm hoping for 725 pounds." This is Olsen's third year growing ginormous gourds for the festival. The first year his pumpkin weighed in at 515 pounds. Last year's would-be entrant blew up, meaning it cracked and basically fell apart, he said. In his defense, Olsen was out of town often last year for work. He didn't have as much time to devote to watering, nurturing and providing manure for his plant. His wife Christina Olsen was often saddled with that responsibility. "Last year he'd be away on business, call home and ask how his pumpkin was - he didn't mean me," Christina Olsen said. Pumpkin growers from around the region bring their prime picks from the patch to Auburn on Saturday. The heaviest pumpkin will bring its grower a $1,000 cash prize. Last year's first place went to Steve Fry's 819-pound pumpkin. The record for the heaviest pumpkin ever weighed in at the Auburn festival is 1,001 in 2005 and belonged to Leonardo Urena, of Napa. Fellow Napan and gourd grower Pete Glasier recently took the state record when his pumpkin, "Rocksanne" tipped the scales at the annual Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin and Harvest Festival at 1,535.5 pounds. This year's cooler temperatures in early October may have stunted the growth of some entrants' pumpkins. Randy Warren, a longtime grower from Auburn, wouldn't reveal the dimensions and weight of his gourd, but did say he hopes the weather would work in his favor. But too much rain can also create a negative effect. "The weather gives an opportunity for disease to grow," Warren said. "We just hope we get it to the scales. It's been a hard year." Don Brown, of Sacramento, said he's been growing small pumpkins for a couple of years, but with Warren's encouragement, has set his sights bigger. "We would give the smaller ones to the neighborhood kids," he said. "Randy (Warren) came by, we call him the pumpkin man, and he offered me a couple of seeds." Thus it began. After planting some of Warren's Atlantic Giant variety, Brown is now fully involved in giant pumpkin growing. "I have about six now," he said. "A couple are about 150 pounds. I just wanted to have fun." But there's always next year. Brown said he plans to devote his entire outdoor garden to pumpkins. No more tomatoes or squash, he said. Free giant pumpkin seeds capable of growing a 1,000-pound plus gourd will be available at Recreation Park Saturday morning. "Next year it's all pumpkins in the garden," Brown said. According to Don Yamaski, KAHI radio's The Garden Guru and judge of the Auburn Community Festival's giant pumpkin contest, gourds must be healthy in order to qualify. "There can't be any kind of injury, they can't be broken or have any wounds that go through into the pumpkin," he said. "If it's superficial scratches that's OK, but if the injury goes into the pumpkin then it's disqualified." The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment on auburnjournal.com.