Happy ,
friend.

Here’s today’s Whipped Cream on Top.

“It's truly massive, it was a pleasure to grow.”
Ron Wallace, to the Associated Press

Meet the first 3,000-pound pumpkin.

On Saturday, Ron Wallace of Coventry, Rhode Island, brought his pumpkin to the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Warren, and the scoreboard read 3,156 pounds. That makes it the first pumpkin on record to top 3,000 pounds.

Ron Wallace and another man in orange shirts stand behind a giant pale orange pumpkin tagged 3156.0, under a scoreboard that reads 3,156.0. — Ron Wallace with his 3,156-pound pumpkin at Frerichs Farm in Warren, R.I., on Oct. 10, 2026. Photo courtesy of Ron Wallace, via WPRI.

A few fun facts

It isn't official yet. Guinness World Records still has to certify the weight before it counts as the world record. (UPI)
It would topple a one-week-old record. The current record, Ian Paton's “Bagheera,” weighed 2,856 lb 12.8 oz in England on Oct. 3. Ron's beat it by nearly 300 pounds. (Guinness World Records)
Paton's next goal was a 3,000-pound pumpkin. Ron got there seven days later. (Guinness World Records)
Ron has done this before. In 2012, his 2,009-pound pumpkin at the Topsfield Fair was the first ever to top one ton. (CBS News)
Pumpkins used to be a lot smaller. In 1900, the record was 400 pounds. The first 1,000-pounder didn't show up until 1996. (Scientific American)
They grow fast. A giant pumpkin goes from golf-ball size to full size in about 120 days, and can put on up to 70 pounds in a single day. (Guinness World Records)
They're bred for it. The variety behind record pumpkins, the Atlantic Giant, was created by Canadian breeder Howard Dill in the 1970s. (Scientific American)
The prize: $3,500. That works out to about $1.11 a pound. (Cox Media Group)