The 11th Annual Operation Pumpkin Festival will take place in historic downtown Hamilton from October 7 – 9, 2022. As preparation is underway for 2022, the festival announces a new Weigh-Off partner for 2022.

“We are excited to partner with Mike Blevins, a local grower, to lead the Weigh-Off portion of the event this year,” said co-chair Jason Snyder. “Mike will be officially joining the committee later this month.”

Blevins is an award-winning giant pumpkin grower that began his growing journey in 2018. Having grown multiple pumpkins at varying weights throughout the years, he achieved his personal best at the 2021 Operation Pumpkin Weigh-Off where his orange giant weighed in at 1390.5 pounds.

“I am a proud Hamilton native and grow all of my pumpkins in the backyard of my home in Hamilton, which has been appropriately named the Cul-De-Sac Pumpkin Patch, ” said Mike. Mike’s roots run deep in the city and he's excited to be further involved, while simultaneously working on his passions.

This change comes after partnering for 10 years with the Southern Ohio Pumpkin Growers. “We are grateful for their support and partnership over the past 10 years. This change provides us an opportunity to expand all portions of the Weigh-Off and add additional educational components for growers,” said Snyder.

Community support through sponsorship is a key driver to success each October. With Blevins as an official committee member, the festival is able to hold events leading up to the festival for anyone interested in becoming a grower or bettering their current gardens. Operation Pumpkin remains a sanctioned event through the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) and will continue to abide by GPC rules and regulations.

Blevins’s first Grower Seminar will take place on March 26 at 1 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott in Hamilton. Jeff Theil, state record holder, will be the guest speaker at the event that is free and open to the public. The overall goal is to get more people involved in the sport which in turn will increase interest and attendance at the event in October.