subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Oct 11 2008 

Published: October 25, 2007 11:37 pm    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Local man's giant pumpkins featured on TV special

By KATHY MELLOTT
The Tribune-Democrat

NORTHERN CAMBRIA A local man’s penchant for producing giant pumpkins has landed him a spot on the National Geographic Channel tonight.

Larry Checkon of Northern Cambria is one of a number of people featured in “Unmasking Halloween,” an hour-long program set to air at 7 p.m.

The show will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Halloween night, spokeswoman Erin Smith said Thursday.

The program is billed as a documentary examining the various ways people celebrate what National Geographic calls “a unique holiday.”

Tonight’s broadcast isn’t Checkon’s first brush with fame.

His pumpkin-growing talents have earned him widespread notoriety, including a segment two years ago on Martha Stewart’s show “Martha.”

Checkon presented the famous businesswoman with seeds from a batch of monster pumpkins he grew in 2005.

In 1999, Checkon and his wife, Gerry – who also is a giant-pumpkin grower – appeared on the David Letterman Show in New York City.

“They say this (segment) on the National Geographic Channel is going to be a 13-minute segment with me in my patch,” Checkon said.

The filming took place about a year ago and involved a crew of National Geographic Chan-nel production personnel who spent the day in Checkon’s backyard.

“They set everything up under a shade tree, and they wanted to know all the secrets of growing giant pumpkins,” the green-thumb grower recalled.

Checkon has captured a number of top awards for pumpkins in excess of 1,000 pounds.

This year, he placed second at the Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a pumpkin weighing in at 1,212 pounds.

A Luzerne County woman captured first place with a 1,272.521/2 -pound pumpkin.

The world’s largest pumpkin was recorded in September in Rhode Island at 1,689 pounds.

But Checkon did capture the top award in 2005, when he beat the then-world record with a pumpkin that was listed at 1,469 pounds.

print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Photos


Larry Checkon is seen with his giant pumpkin in 2004. The Northern Cambria man will be featured in a Halloween documentary airing tonight on the National Geographic Channel. Tribune-Democrat File Photo/ (Click for larger image)

monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs


Sales Representative
Expanding company seeking an aggressive sales rep with experience in the natural gas industry.
...>MORE

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS
CUSTOMER
SERVICE REPS
CallcenterHR, Inc. is growing. We are looking for motivated individuals to become Cus
...>MORE

Cleaning Person
CLEANING PERSON- Blvd. Grill. Wed. - Sat. morning shifts, Call 254-2106...>MORE

Masons
MASONS: 1 yr. min. experience w/references & transportation. Full time, vacation, holidays, 401K, medical. Competitive w...>MORE

PT Custodial Employees
WINDBER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT is accepting applications for regular part time custodial employees. Evening hours. ...>MORE

Exp. Subcontractors
WANTED - EXPERIENCED
SUBCONTRACTORS.
Local work with fast growing company. Must have insurance and own tools.
...>MORE

Administrative Secretary
ADMINISTRATIVE
SECRETARY
FULL TIME

If you are looking for a challenging and unique opportunity that
...>MORE

CUSTOMER SERVICE/SALES POSITIONS
CHECK US
OUT!

Inter-Media Marketing Has
Customer Service/Sales Positions Available Full-Time And Pa
...>MORE


CAD OPERATOR/
ARCHITECT

Introduction Architecture CAD Operator w/min. 2 years experience.

Arc
...>MORE

WELDERS
WELDERS
Local company accepting applications for full time welding positions. Must be available to work three swing
...>MORE

See all ads

Garage/Yard Sales


GUYS/GALS YARD SALE
FREE COFFEE. Handguns, tins, fishing poles, holiday, 40 pc. Noritake “holly berry”, fiesta, mo
...>MORE


426 JACKSON ST., 8-4, Saturday, October 11. Furniture, dishes, lockers, knick knacks and misc. other things....>MORE


307 LION ST., AT BOTTOM OF HILL, 9 a.m. -1 p.m., Sunday, October 12th. Super single waterbed, weight bench w/ olympic ba...>MORE


527 DUWELL ST., 8-4 Sat.,
October 11th. Lots of collectibles, Penn State, Notre Dame, Harry Potter, Furniture, HH i
...>MORE


SOUTHFORK MOVING SALE - 8-5 Saturday, October 11th, 927 Ragers Hill Road. Furniture, Lawn Mowers, Snow Blower, A little ...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Homes


FERNDALE: 2BR, $325+
utilities, new carpet & paint, yard & porch. No smoking. 888-428-7939.
...>MORE


CONEMAUGH Nice, 1 Bdrm. Apartment. Updated Bath, Freshly Painted, 2 Covered Porches. (814) 418-1749....>MORE


Spacious Living well-maintained brick ranch. Frederick St., (upper Moxham) 3 BR, 2 baths, large modern kitchen w/applian...>MORE


ROXBURY - 1BR, 2nd Fl. appl, laundry & parking. No pets. $350 mo + util. (814) 288-4217....>MORE


3 BR, 1 BA WESTMONT home for rent with 5-month lease. Avail. 11/01/08-3/31/09. $650 per month. Call 814-255-2940 for det...>MORE

See all ads

Don't Miss This!


SHARP 19” FLAT SCREEN
HDTV w/Built in DVD Player. Brand New, never removed from the box--retail price: $449. Asking
...>MORE


2 SEADOO PWC. 1-owner
2006 RXT/red/215 hp. 2001 GTX DI/blue/130 hp. both low hours. Dual trailer, like new. $9,000.
...>MORE


FOUND BLACK CAT Short-haired, female (?), small/young, near Thiele trucking. Call with details, Kathy (814) 241-1174....>MORE

See all ads


click here click here click here click here click here click here click here click here click here click here click here click here

 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index