Pumpkin Picking Madness

It's pumpkin-picking season. While other crops withered in the dust of the drought, some are calling the pumpkin crop exceptional.

Oak Ridge Nurseries annual pumpkin party has traditionally been a one day event until this year when the nursery decided to make it an entire weekend affair. Nursery owners are glad they glad they made the change and so are those looking for a good gourd.

"The guys are watching football; us gals are out shopping," pumpkin picker Cindy Larsen said.

Larsen decided to spend the day with her daughter and granddaughter picking out pumpkins at the nursery.  She says it was a beautiful day to bring in fall.

"We walked around all over the place looking for pumpkins, certain ones because they had to have ones with stems on them and color and all that good stuff so they could paint on them," Larsen said.

Co-Owner of the nursery, Mike Coughlin, says with inflatables, wine tasting, apple cider and of course pumpkins, there’s something for just about everyone.

"People love fall.  It’s just a great time.  It finally cooled down enough so you can get out and do some yard work and things like that that you put off all summer," Coughlin said.

He says with the extremely dry summer, many plants didn't do very well.  But pumpkins were an exception.

"Excellent. Like I say, their size this year is phenomenal for as dry as it was and I think everyone is surprised with as dry it was how well plants have come along. Some plants seem to like the drier conditions; as long as we don't have too many years in a row like this," Coughlin said.

And for those looking take a home a gourd or two, bigger is always better.

"We're enjoying it. We're enjoying the whole day," Larsen said.

Coughlin figures they sold around 750 pumpkins over the weekend.