Midwest Man Grows Pumpkin that Sets a New World Record

As people start gearing up for the cooler, fall weather, there are others trying to soak up the last bit of summer with their favorite activities. But as we start to head into September, people are going to start trading in their boating adventures for an afternoon at the pumpkin patch.

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But for one Midwest man, it’s not quite time for that.

A Nebraska man set a world record on Saturday while floating the Nebraska-Iowa border.

So how does this combine a summer-favorite and fall-favorite activity?

Well, he did it inside a pumpkin.

Duane Hansen set his record-breaking goal three years ago when he watched another person attempt to break the record for the longest pumpkin float in Ohio. So, for his 60^th birthday (which was also on Saturday) Hansen took his 846-pound pumpkin for a float down the Missouri River.

Hansen hopped in his pumpkin at around 7:30 AM in Bellevue Nebraska and set out for his 38-mile journey to Nebraska City. His wife, family, and friends all helped assist and document the journey. There was even someone following him with a boat in case something went wrong.

At around 2:52, Hanson set the world record when he hit the 25.5-mile mark. However, he wasn’t done after hitting the record mark. He kept floating along to reach Nebraska City, which was 12 miles past the record benchmark.

He reached Nebraska City Saturday evening just after 6:30 PM. In total, he floated 38 miles down the Missouri River.

So, if you ask me, that is one way to celebrate a memorable birthday!