CIRCLEVILLE, OH — Just below the North Side water tank on Nicholas Drive, Ray Anderson has been quietly working on a Circleville tradition: growing giant pumpkins for the annual Pumpkin Show. But this year, the story isn’t just about Ray’s garden—it’s about a father-daughter competition that’s turning heads. Anderson came in second last year with an impressive 2,194 and a fourth 1,888-pounder.
Anderson admitted that this season got off to a rocky start. Heavy rains and tough growing conditions wiped out his first attempts. Instead of giving up, he replanted in July with seeds saved from last year’s pumpkins. One of those seeds went to his daughter, Stacey Cowdery, setting the stage for a friendly family rivalry.
“Now it’s a race between my daughter and I to see who can bring the biggest pumpkin to the Pumpkin Show,” Anderson said. “It’s bragging rights, plain and simple.”
Both pumpkins, the duo nicknamed the “Twisted Sisters,” were planted just days apart and even pollinated within the same week. Anderson and Cowdery experimented with slightly different growing techniques—Ray trimmed one main vine while Stacey let hers grow naturally. Surprisingly, both pumpkins are tracking closely in size.
“At one point mine was ahead, but hers has started catching up,” Anderson explained. “Right now I’m only about 70 pounds ahead, and when a pumpkin can put on a pound or more a day, that gap can close quick.”
Naming the pumpkins has been just as fun as growing them. Stacey tossed around names like Queen or even Fat Bottom Girl—a nod to its round shape—while they joked about calling it Jermaine after a text message autocorrect gone wrong. Together, though, they’ve embraced the nickname “Twisted Sisters.”
The father-daughter pair say their pumpkins even look like siblings. “Mine has some light spots and creases, while hers is a pure, deep orange,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of funny how they’re almost identical, like twins.”
Whether it’s Anderson or Cowdery who takes the edge, both say the experience is about more than the final weigh-in. It’s about tradition, fun, and making Father-Daughter memories that will last long after the Pumpkin Show ends.
