Every year, the U-Haul Cafe, an on-site cafe located in the company’s corporate headquarters, holds a contest to guess the weight of the giant pumpkin. The prize: The winner gets to keep the pumpkin.
Can you guess the weight of this huge pumpkin? This massive winter squash was about three feet tall and four feet wide. Take a minute and pick a number. You’ll find the weight at the bottom of this story.
Rose Wojtak, a U-Haul Buyer’s Club programmer/analyst, has guessed the weight of the pumpkin approximately 10 times during her U-Haul career. And, it’s usually right on the nose! Considering that U-Haul has hosted this contest for the past 20 years, means that Rose has won at least half the time.
Cathy Spurlin, manager of Food Services for the company’s on-site cafe, calls Rose “the pumpkin whisperer.” Rose just laughs.
“I’ve been asked some funny questions over the years,” Rose mentioned. “People ask if I’ve ever worked on a farm, or if I come in on the weekends to lift the pumpkin. But, the answer is no.
“This year, I wasn’t sure I had a chance because the jar was full of guesses,” Rose continued. “I got a call from Cathy, and I got excited. I asked her, ‘Did I win?’ Cathy sounded like she was mad and told me to come to her office now. I was kind of scared. I thought, ‘What did I do wrong?’”
It seemed as though Cathy had finally figured out Rose’s nefarious scheme to snag the pumpkin year after year.
“I went to go see Cathy, and she just wanted to tell me I that won in person,” Rose recalled. “I got tears in my eyes and gave her a hug. I was so surprised!”
As it turns out, there is no nefarious scheme. Rose is just a really good guesser. It’s unclear if this applies to all topics or just pumpkin size.
You may be thinking, “Is she really surprised after winning so many times?” But, she really is.
“With all the other guesses in the jar, I’m always very surprised if I win,” Rose asserted.
“She really is the pumpkin whisperer,” Cathy declared. “I’ve been doing this contest for 20 years, and she’s won more times than not. I don’t know how she does it. It’s unbelievable!”
So, do you have your guess for the weight of the pumpkin? Pick a number now. The answer is just below the following picture.
Giant pumpkin weight: 109 lbs (approx. 49 kg)
Are you good at guessing something? (Candy in a jar, weight of odd objects, etc.) Let us know what your unique talent is in the comments below.
