It all begins with one little seed.
In 1996, Bill Greer who was then Reeve of Wellington, grew an Atlantic Pumpkin that weighed 1006 pounds. This was one of two pumpkins that broke the 1000 pound barrier for the first time in the history of Giant Pumpkin growing.
Competitive pumpkin growing is now a world wide hobby with weigh offs in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Japan as well as Canada and the U.S. At the same time Bill's pumpkin was being weighed at the Byward Market in Ottawa, another monster pumpkin was being weighed in Lowville, New York. It beat Bill's pumpkin by 55 pounds and became World Champion.
Giant pumpkin growing has 2 main growers associations, the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth and the World Pumpkin Commonwealth.
Luckily for Bill the two pumpkins were each weighed off in different associations and Bill's pumpkin was the GPC Champion and was shipped to California where it was carved into the world's biggest Jack O Lantern. The 1997 GPC Champion was a 914 pound pumpkin grown in California from a seed from Bill's 1006 pound giant.
Bill's pumpkin remains the GPC Champion and the Canadian Champion. The first Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest was held in Wellington on October 25, 1997. The idea of celebrating Bill's success and encouraging other growers to try this fascinating hobby, germinated at a meeting of the Wellington and District Business Association in the fall of 1996. The whole community got behind the idea and the first Pumpkinfest for Prince Edward County was born.
Seeds were distributed in early 1997 to anyone interested in growing these giant pumpkins and by October over 40 growers were eager to enter the results of their summer labours.
On October 25th, a huge parade featured growers parading their pumpkins in trucks, trailers and even wheelbarrows and lawnmower carts. Contests, games and food booths added to the festivities. The weigh-in was held at Midtown Meats and when it was all over, the Canadian Champion came out on top again with a 727 pound giant. Second prize went to Eleanor Lindsay-MacDonald who grew a 519 pound giant and third prize was won by the combination team of John Dempster and Robin Snooks from White Rose, who weighed in one at 468 pounds. All growers were also entered into a Grower's Prize Draw and ironically the winner of the smallest pumpkin trophy, also won the largest growers draw cash prize. This was Dan Insley.
A Tribute to Bill Greer
July 12, 1932 to June 1, 2003
William Warner Greer was born in Hillier Township in Prince Edward County to Lindley and Amy (Rixen) Greer. He was educated at CML Snider School in Wellington and attended Ryerson Institute of Technology in Toronto, where he took tool and die making.
Bill loved sports and participated eagerly in hunting, hockey and baseball and it was at a baseball game that he spotted his future wife Marguerite Dyer who was playing shortstop. They married in 1956 and produced 4 wonderful children, Bob, Janine, John and Paul. They have all married now and produced 8 great grandchildren. Bill worked on the family farm and managed the Greer Canning Co. Ltd. along with his brother Mac, after his father’s death. They later closed the factory and he bought out his brother’s interest and continued to operate the farm until 1995.
He was elected to the Council of the Village of Wellington in 1962 and with the exception of 2 terms, served for 30 years, 13 of which he served as Reeve. In 1982 he was appointed Warden of Prince Edward County, the highest office in Municipal politics. He served on many committees including the Cemetery Board, the Arena Board, the Loyalist Parkway, District Health Council, Hydro Commission, the Hospital Foundation Board and many others. He was instrumental in the development of the water and sewage systems in Wellington, the Wellington Harbour, Seniors Housing and several subdivision agreements and was an elder in the Wellington United Church.
In 1994 he started the hobby of growing giant pumpkins and in 1996 weighed in the first pumpkin in the world over 1000 lbs. His record only stood for 2 hours, as his 1006-pound fruit was beat by a 1061-pound pumpkin weighed in at a weigh-off in New York State. As a result of his success, the Prince Edward County Pumpkinfest was started in 1997 and has continued as a local event and tourist attraction. He was president of the Prince Edward County Pumpkin Growers from their inception in 1999 until his death.
Last year, 2002, in spite of ill health Bill continued to grow giant pumpkins and produced a pumpkin that weighed 1172 pounds. It was the biggest pumpkin ever grown in Ontario and ranked 5th in the world that year and 10th in the history of growing Giant Pumpkins. Bill was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerhig’s Disease) early in 2003 and deteriorated very quickly. Pumpkin growers all over the world will miss him.