HAMILTON, OH — It was a gourd-geous night in downtown Hamilton as a new Ohio state record was smashed at the Operation Pumpkin Festival on October 10, 2025. Jared Persinger rolled in with a massive 2,505-pound pumpkin, setting a new state benchmark and coming within just around 300 pounds of the world record.
The record-breaking pumpkin toppled the previous Ohio best of 2,388.5 pounds, set by Bob and Jo Liggett of Circleville at the 2024 Circleville Pumpkin Show. Persinger didn’t even come in first place, but second! A pumpkin weighing 2,518 was also brought to the weigh-off but it was from New York.
The annual Operation Pumpkin Festival — part competition, part celebration — drew growers and pumpkin enthusiasts from across the country for the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where dreams of record-setting glory take root each fall.
The new Ohio state record of 2,505 pounds now belongs to Jared Persinger — a fitting title for a family that continues to redefine what it means to grow big dreams.
