TOPSFIELD, MA — A Topsfield grower set a new Massachusetts giant pumpkin record at the Topsfield Fair, where weekend events also included a repeat hot dog eating champion and the crowning of the 2026 Junior King and Queen.
Wood Lancaster of Topsfield now holds both the Topsfield Fair record for the largest giant pumpkin and the record for the largest pumpkin grown in Massachusetts.
His pumpkin weighed 2,598 pounds at the 42nd annual All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
The previous Massachusetts record was set last year by Alex Noel of Abington, Connecticut, whose pumpkin weighed 2,507 pounds.
Lancaster won more than $10,000 in prize money for the winning entry. The pumpkin was set to be moved Sunday night to the Fruit and Vegetable Barn, where it will be on display for the run of the fair.
The four runner-up pumpkins will be displayed under a tent in the barnyard through the end of the Fair on Oct. 12.
Another weekend contest produced a repeat winner as Robert McGee of Rockaway, New York, won the 8th annual Topsfield Fair Hot Dog Eating Contest on Saturday.
McGee ate 12 quarter-pound hot dogs in buns, the equivalent of 3.25 pounds, during the seven-minute contest.
It was the second year in a row McGee won the event. Last year, he set a new record by eating 13 hot dogs. McGee received $208, a nod to the 208th Topsfield Fair. He was pictured with Corey Friedman and Marc Freedman, who runs the Bnai Brith Booth at the fair, which sponsored the contest.
The fair also crowned its 2026 Junior King and Queen on Saturday. Kyrie Mercedes, 5, of Salisbury, and Zaalee Pottle, 6, of Georgetown, were chosen in the annual pageant for children ages 5 to 8.
Children in the pageant are asked to dress casually, interviewed on stage, and judged on general appearance, conduct and personality.
The Junior King and Queen serve as representatives of the fair at local parades and other events throughout the year. They are pictured (below) with Mrs. Essex County 2026, Clarice Menesale of Danvers, who hosted the pageant.
The Topsfield Fair runs daily through next Monday.
Fairgoers can see the record-setting pumpkin in the Fruit and Vegetable Barn and the other top pumpkins in the barnyard tent during the rest of the fair.
Featured performers this year include Chubby Checker, Grand Funk Railroad and country music star Ashley McBride.
Also scheduled throughout the run are the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, Dock Dogs exhibitions, Painted Pony Championship Rodeo, live pumpkin carving, The Flying Wallendas, Draft Horse Show, Double Figure "8" car race and Demolition Derby.
Tickets for this year's Fair can be purchased here.
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