Saturday, October 12, 2019

Dallas Park – Dallas, NC

Somethin’ Pumpkin is a cooking contest, pumpkin decorating contest, and festival designed by N.C. Cooperative Extension as part of Cotton Ginning Days held in Gaston County. From growing and cooking with pumpkin, activities encourage families to connect with local agriculture, as well as community resources.

2019 Winners Announced

Congratulations to all participants of the 2019 Cooking Contest! With over 70 IMPRESSIVE pumpkin dishes, our judges had a very difficult time in selecting winners…but enjoyed every bite!

Click here for the 2019 Somethin’ Pumpkin Contestant Recipe Booklet

Cooking Contest Winners

Both youth and adults participated in the event with more than seventy entries, which included a wide variety of creative and delicious foods. Two new categories were added, which gave youth contestants even more opportunity to showcase their pumpkin-inspired cuisine. Eight contest categories included: 1) Main Dish, 2) Desserts, 3) Miscellaneous, 4) Home Grown, 5) Youth (ages 8-12):  Main Dish & Miscellaneous, 6) Youth: Ages 8-12 – Desserts, 7) Youth:  Ages 13-18:  Main Dish & Miscellaneous, and 8) Youth:  Ages 13-18:  Desserts.

Through the sponsorship of the Gaston County Farm Bureau prizes were awarded in each category: first place – $100, second place – $50, and third place – $25. A grand prize of $200 was awarded to the overall contest winner. Congratulations to all contest winners including:

Grand Prize Winner

5th Annual Somethin’ Pumpkin Cooking Contest’s Grand prize winner – Shannah Grace Spargo.

Pumpkin Spice Cake – submitted by Shannah Grace Spargo of Belmont. Special recognition goes to Miss Spargo, who was a youth contestant in the Youth (Ages 8-12) categories.

Main Dish Category Winners

• First Place: Fall Harvest Pizza – submitted by Jamie Smith of Lincolnton
• Second Place: Spicy Pumpkin Chili – submitted by Christopher Smith of Mooresville
• Third Place: Pumpkin Shells by the Sea – submitted by Ann Helms of Gastonia

Dessert Category Winners

• First Place:  Pumpkin Roll Cookies – submitted by Ann Helms of Gastonia
• Second Place:  Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars – submitted by Janet Bowen of Bessemer City
• Third Place:  Pumpkin Delight Dessert – submitted by Sandy Long of Gastonia

Miscellaneous Category Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Dip – submitted by Hope Jordan of Gastonia
• Second Place: Pumpkin Spice Truffles – submitted by Ann Helms of Gastonia
• Third Place:  Pumpkin Pasta Sauce – submitted by Sandy Long of Gastonia

Youth: 8-12 Main Dish & Miscellaneous Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells – submitted by Sarah Scism of Bessemer City
• Second Place:  Pig Candy Pumpkin Grilled Cheese – submitted by Payton Lenox of Mt. Holly
• Third Place:  Spicy Pumpkin Chili – submitted by Shannah Grace Spargo of Belmont

Youth (Ages 8-12):  Dessert Category Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – submitted by Sydney Sheppard
• Second Place: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – submitted by Sarah Scism of Bessemer City
• Third Place: Macadamia Nut Pumpkin Cookies – submitted by Addison Brooke Brown of Lincolnton

Youth (Ages 13-18): Main Dish & Miscellaneous Category Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Spice Casserole – submitted by Madison Dodd of Dallas
• Second Place: Savory Pumpkin Pizza – submitted by East Gaston High School – Foods & Nutrition 1 Class Students:  Nathaniel Anderson, Allie Hinson, Camden Silvers, Trevar Williams
• Third Place: Pumpkin Turkey Chili – submitted by East Gaston High School – Foods & Nutrition 1 Class Students:  Courtney Bethune, Gabby Carver, Caleb Cassada, Edan Senecal

Youth (Ages 13-18):  Dessert Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Cheesecake Delights – Submitted by Kelli McGuire of Maiden
• Second Place: Praline Upside Down Pumpkin Cake – Submitted by East Gaston HS – Foods & Nutrition 1 Class:  Nick Adair, David Florex-Rodriguez, Amber Jones, Noah Pilgrim
• Third Place: Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart – Submitted by East Gaston HS – Foods & Nutrition 1 Class

Home Grown Category Winners

• First Place: Pumpkin Pecan Cake – Submitted by Addison Brooke Brown of Lincolnton
• Second Place:  Pumpkin Fudge – Submitted by Dalton Scism of Bessemer City
• Third Place: Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart – Submitted by Sarah Scism of Bessemer City

Pumpkin Decorating Contest Winners Announced

There were over 30 entries in Gaston County Public Library’s annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Participants were asked to decorate small pumpkins based on the characters and themes in Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s books, the most famous being Where the Wild Things Are. The pumpkins, in the categories of Kindergarten-2^nd Grade, 3^rd-5^th Grade, and Family, were judged based on their creativity and the use of the Sendak theme. Three winners were announced at Somethin’ Pumpkin:

• First Place, Kindergarten-2^nd Grade: Alligators All Around – submitted by Addison Spurling
• First Place, 3^rd-5^th Grade: Where the Wild Things Are Sea Monster – submitted by Carter Auciello
• First Place, Family: Where the Wild Things Are Grass Hut – submitted by Shad Bumgarner

Winning entries of the 5th Annual Somethin’ Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Following Saturday’s event, all pumpkins were returned to the Main Library and placed on display in the children’s room for the people’s choice voting session.