That's one big pumpkin

When it comes to growing gigantic pumpkins, Jordan Abbate knows what he is talking about.

And he has the winning ribbons the prove it.

The Kelowna man took home first place at the Armstrong Great Pumpkin Weigh In — again.

The winning gourd weighed in at an astounding 1,408 pounds.

“This is the fifth time I've won, going all the way back to 2010 when I was still in middle school and won with just a 222-pound pumpkin,” Abbate said.

The big pumpkin contest was part of the Harvest Pumpkin Festival held last weekend in the North Okanagan community.

The Armstrong-Spallumcheen region has deep agricultural roots and the festival was launched in 2000 as another way to recognize those roots.

As part of the fall festival, the annual Purple Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt kicked off Oct. 16 and runs until Halloween.

The family event encourages residents and visitors to explore local shops and businesses while hunting for creatively decorated purple pumpkins.

Purple pumpkins will be hidden in participating stores throughout Armstrong, each marked with a unique letter. The challenge is to collect all the letters, unscramble them to reveal a special phrase, and submit the completed entry for a chance to win prizes.

For more information, click here.