LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – Local dentist Christopher Rodebaugh set two state records on Oct. 15. Rodebaugh said, “[It] was a big day for me in Raleigh, North Carolina. Two new West Virginia state records were set: watermelon at 242.6 pounds and pumpkin at 2,206.1 pounds. I have been chasing the pumpkin record for seven seasons. It feels good to finally capture it.”
In regards to the pumpkin record, Rodebaugh said, “So the interesting thing about the West Virginia state record; I started growing about seven years ago, and at the time, the record stood at 1,581 pounds, and I grew a pumpkin that first year at 1,551 pounds, really close, and I’ve been chasing it ever since.” He also noted, “There’s been a grower in the southern portion of West Virginia, an old farmer, Mr. Bob Cyrus, that would raise the record slightly every year or every other year, and I was always on his tail, and this year, I finally passed him.”
Rodebaugh likened the competition to a NASCAR race saying, “It’s kind of like being in a NASCAR race and running most of the race in second place, and then getting to run a lead lap or two. By no means will my record hold forever more in the state of West Virginia, and several others have great intentions on pursuing a new record, but it’s nice to hold it at least for a little while.”
Regarding the watermelon record Rodebaugh said, “As for the watermelon, the original record was set five or six years ago by a gentleman from Thomas, West Virginia, which is very cold. Watermelons tend to grow in warmer climates, and Thomas, West Virginia, is one of the coldest places in the state. So I knew that I had a good chance of meeting that and being more southern, closer to the coalfield region of West Virginia. We get a little bit more heat here. And I did top that record. It was 189.5 pounds originally, and of course, my fruit, the watermelon, is 242.6 pounds. So I bested it by over 50 pounds, which is just an incredible leap. And I do think that that watermelon record will hold for quite some time.”
Congratulations to Doctor Rodebaugh on breaking these state records.
