STIRLING – Along with trick-or-treating, haunted houses, ghosts and goblins, jack-o’-lanterns and the occasional scary story, there is one more Halloween event that has become somewhat of a tradition in the village of Stirling over the past few years. And that is the fun-filled “Guess The Weight of The Giant Pumpkin” contest/fundraiser held annually at the Pro One Stop convenience store in the weeks leading up to Halloween. It was Mike Kerby of Kerby Hollow Farms who first proposed the idea to Min and Julie Yoo, owners and operators of the popular convenience store. “Since we always seem to grow a few of these enormous pumpkins each year, I suggested we organize a 50/50 contest with half of the proceeds going to support the Stirling Food Bank,” explained Kerby, “and we would donate the giant pumpkin to be the centerpiece of a guessing game.”
And that is how the “Guess The Weight of The Giant Pumpkin” contest came to be. For a few weeks before Halloween, a massive pumpkin sits at the entrance to the Pro One Stop and customers are encouraged to guess its weight. “Each guess costs a Toonie or you can have three guesses for five dollars,” explained Julie Yoo of the Pro One Stop, adding, “it’s a whole lot of fun but the real winner each year is the Food Bank.”
As always, the contest runs for three weeks or so leading up to Halloween. And it was two days before Halloween this year that Mike Kerby arrived at the Pro One Stop to disclose the secret he had been keeping since the 2025 contest began and that the actual weight of this year’s monster gourd was 318 pounds. When all ballots were carefully reviewed, it surprised everyone that there were actually two winners. Both Patrick Semark and 7-year-old, Harrison Cole, both of Stirling, had each submitted guesses of 317 pounds. And since the 50/50 contest had raised a total of $775.00, it meant that each winner would receive $193.75 and the Food Bank would get $387.50
And while that alone would have been a very happy ending, there is a little more to our story. As they have done each and every year, Min and Julie would top-up the donation to the Food Bank – this year adding an additional $387.50 so that the Food Bank would receive the full $775.00.
“It’s always such a good feeling to be part of something like this,” Julie maintained, “and while it’s a whole lot of fun, it’s also a good time to remind people that our Food Bank needs our continuing support.”