Rick Holder had never brought a pumpkin to Elkin for the annual Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival until this year.

But the Winston-Salem native made his first appearance a memorable one as he broke the state record for largest pumpkin ever to highlight a soggy day at the 13th annual event.

Holder's 1,258 pound pumpkin smashed the state record set in Elkin two years ago by nearly 150 pounds. He knew his pumpkin was big, but he didn't expect this.

"I was estimating it to be a little over 1,100," Holder said. "When the scale said, 1,258, I was really surprised. This is pretty cool."

The Great Pumpkin Weigh off was the main event of what turned out to be a rainy day in downtown Elkin. The festival drew several hundred people throughout the day, many gathering around the weighing area near the bridge on Main Street where the huge pumpkins and watermelons were on display.

Bands persevered through the steady rain and venders sold food and drink to patrons carrying umbrellas and wearing raincoats.

Some fun facts about growing giant pumpkins

— According to veteran pumpkin grower Al Davis, it takes around 95 days to fully grow a giant pumpkin. Davis would know — he’s won the Great Pumpkin weigh off a couple of times.

— The giant pumpkins need plenty of room to grow, at least 60 feet in either direction.

— Pumpkin weighing and measuring is done for just a couple of weeks out of the year, in late September and early October.

— Holder’s winning pumpkin is the 11th biggest pumpkin weighed so far this year according to bigpumpkins.com. The biggest pumpkin was 1,557 pounds.