SACRAMENTO (KRON) — With Halloween fast-approaching, pumpkin growers are hustling to meet the jack-o-lantern rush.

But in Rio Linda, Calif., one pumpkin is destined for bigger things — much bigger.

Jason and the giant pumpkin have been generating a buzz in Rio Linda.

“It’s just absolutely blown up on social media and within the community,” Jason Green said.

This morning dozens of students from Dry Creek Elementary came to see Jason’s giant pumpkin to see just how big it was first hand.

At the same time, fellow pumpkin growers at Rio Linda’s Grange Hall measured Jason’s pumpkin in anticipation of Saturday’s weigh-in at the Elk Grove Pumpkin Festival where the biggest pumpkin wins $7000.

The estimate for Jason’s pumpkin — roughly 588 pounds.

“This is a baby,” Chris Gifford said. “I think Jason’s at the tail end of the money for the contest.”

But even though this big pumpkin generating big buzz in Rio Linda may not be the world record big, it’s still a big deal.

“How close is the size of this pumpkin to a world record?” the reporter asked.

“Not even close,” Jason said. “World record is exceeding almost a ton.”

Growers said the seeds of big pumpkins can still prove lucrative as the best pumpkin seeds can fetch as much as $300 per seed.

The record so far is 657-pound pumpkin grown in Rio Linda.

The Giant Pumpkin Festival in Elk Grove starts Saturday.

There will be another pumpkin festival next weekend in Rio Linda.

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