It should be obvious, really. That the natural thing to do with giant pumpkins, would be to carve them out, decorate them, then grab a paddle, launch the enormous gourds and race them across a lake. That's exactly what happens every fall in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley and crowds line every vantage point along the shore to see the thrills and yes, the spills as the racers paddle their PVCs (personal vegetable crafts) to the finish line.
 
The Windsor area of the Annapolis Valley is Big Pumpkin Country. And we’re talking eight hundred pounders here! Pumpkin growers from this neck of the woods have been dominating competitive pumpkin growing for decades. Local hero Howard Dill, for example, is a four-time Guinness Book of World Records holder. So there is nowhere better in the world to find pumpkins big enough to serve as boats!
 
2007 marks the 9th anniversary of the increasingly famous “Pumpkin Regatta”. From its humble beginnings when 2,000 local people gathered to watch five brave, but slightly mad, paddlers race their PVC creations, the Pumpkin Regatta has grown into a major event for Nova Scotia with participants and spectators coming from across North America. Even Martha Stewart wanted to take part.
 
As a member of the Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth (yes, there is such a thing) Windsor is one of 20 official weigh-in sites in North America for the giant gourds. An accolade for the biggest pumpkin is a highly coveted honour. So these days, the region’s Pumpkin Festival in October includes both the official Weigh-In and the Regatta as signature events along with a host of other pumpkin related events and activities. There’s the Mad Gourd Scavenger Hunt for kids, for instance. Picture dozens of youngsters racing through 26 acres of scattered gourds desperate to find the Golden Gourd. And there’s the Parade of Paddlers which takes place on dry land and offers a chance to look over the competitors and their PVCs up close. Of course, no pumpkin-related event would be complete without a carving competition. While there are some traditional jack o’lanterns entered every year, the carvings in this class are works of art unto themselves. Imagine a scene of an antique carriage underway drawn by a team of prancing horses – all carved into a pumpkin!
 
Autumn in the Windsor area would not be complete without a visit to the Howard Dill Farm where you can see his beloved and awe-inspiring pumpkin patch. Buy yourself a normal sized pumpkin to take home to carve and some of his magic giant pumpkin seeds so you can try your hand at growing the biggest pumpkin … who knows, maybe you could end up racing your pumpkin next year. Check out worldsbiggestpumpkins.com for all the events and up-to-date information.
 
Getting to the Pumpkin Regatta and the rest of Nova Scotia’s autumn fun and activities is easier that you think. There are direct flights to the province from major cities across the continent, and Nova Scotia is just a day’s drive away from most points in Atlantic Canada and New England.

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