MARION, Ohio — Officials at the Marion County Fair announced a recount in the largest vegetable category on Saturday after the second-place entry was determined to be a gourd, which is not a vegetable.
The gourd, a 41-pound Hubbard squash, had been displayed with a hand-lettered sign reading “VEGETABLE” and was accepted by judges on that basis.
“In fairness to the other competitors, we have to apply the rules as written,” said fair board president Carol Denning. “The rules define a vegetable as a vegetable, and we are looking into what that means.”
The third-place winner, a 39-pound pumpkin, has also filed an objection, on the grounds that it, too, is a gourd.
