Ever wonder how an 800-pound pumpkin makes it from muddy patch to glory on City Square—without popping like an overfilled balloon—or where you should stand so the kids (and your camera) catch every nail-biting second? Step behind the ropes of the Liberty Harvest Fair weigh-off and you’ll discover more than bragging rights: certified test weights clicking into place, growers trading top-secret seed names, and a four-point harness hoisting giants that could flatten a minivan.
Stick with us to learn…
• The sweet spot for stroller-friendly, shade-covered viewing.
• The soil hacks growers swear by for record-breaking girth.
• Which parking lot fits both your Class A rig and your Instagram grid.
Ready to see pumpkins—and plans—lifted to new heights? Let’s roll up the straps and peek backstage.
Key Takeaways
Curious readers often want the essentials before committing to the full story, so this section gathers the most practical nuggets in one glance. Skim here first, then dive deeper for the color commentary, grower gossip, and step-by-step visitor tips that follow. Think of it as the quick-reference card you’ll keep open on your phone while mapping the day.
• Secret Event: The pumpkin weigh-off is not listed on any festival schedule; locals spread the date by word of mouth.
• Rich Soil: Atlantic Giant pumpkins grow huge in the soft, dark soil near the Verdigris River, helped by compost tea and careful vine pruning.
• Morning Setup: At 8 a.m. the scale is tested; by noon the biggest pumpkins are weighed and winners announced.
• Family Viewing: Stand on the east side of City Square for stroller space, shade after 1 p.m., and quick access to restrooms.
• RVer Parking: Large rigs fit in the high-school overflow lot on Kansas Street, a flat three-block walk to the action.
• Photo Tip: Golden-hour light around 5 p.m. gives the hoist and pumpkins a warm glow for cameras and phones.
• What to Bring: Cash for farm booths, refillable water bottles, and a notebook or phone app to capture grower tips.
• Extra Fun: Nearby stops include Bartlett Arboretum, the flat Prairie Sunset Trail, Hollow Hill U-Pick Farm, and the Coffeyville Aviation Museum.
With the overview in hand, you can plan arrival, grab parking, and still leave space for spontaneous discoveries. These giants inspire big imaginations, but thoughtful logistics make the experience stress-free. Keep scrolling to turn quick facts into vivid memories.
Why You Won’t Find the Weigh-Off on Any Official Schedule
Locals in Liberty talk about the weigh-off almost in a whisper, and for good reason: neither the Liberty Fall Festival’s published lineup nor the Downtown Liberty Pumpkin Festival mentions a single word about certified scales or Atlantic Giants. A quick scan of the festival pages—one for the September fair Liberty Fall Fest and another for the early-October block party Downtown Pumpkin Festival—confirms the omission. That absence isn’t a typo; it’s tradition.
The event grew out of late-1800s Grange gatherings where farmers compared harvest yields after market day, long before city marketing teams and liability waivers shaped modern fairs. Today’s growers still run the show themselves, preferring low-key pride over big-banner publicity. For visitors, the secrecy means you’re getting an insider scoop—mark the date by word of mouth or you’ll miss the single loudest cheer Liberty’s City Square hears all year.
Verdigris River Soil, Atlantic Giants, and Kansas Pumpkin Pride
Drive a spade into the loamy bottoms along the Verdigris River and you’ll hit the chocolate-cake soil responsible for Kansas’ heavyweight pumpkins. Consistently rich in humus and naturally drained, these fields push Atlantic Giant vines toward 200-pound territory without exotic fertilizers. Growers swear by compost tea spiked with fish emulsion, but nearly everyone agrees the ground itself is the secret sauce.
The weigh-off doubles as an informal crop clinic where neighboring farmers swap seed envelopes, vine-pruning tips, and stories about trimming all but one fruit so a plant’s full energy feeds a single gourd. Listen closely and you’ll hear arguments over whether mycorrhizal fungi or aged leaf mold makes a better soil amendment. For traveling guests, Junction West Coffeyville RV Park about twenty minutes south offers a quiet, full-hookup basecamp—perfect for jotting down those soil hacks before they fade with sunset chatter.
Dawn to Drumroll: How the Weigh-Off Unfolds
The day starts well before spectators arrive. At 8 a.m. the weigh master wheels out a hydraulic pallet scale and verifies its accuracy with certified test weights, logging the calibration in front of two impartial witnesses. If the reading drifts even a fraction of a pound, the whole setup gets re-zeroed until everyone nods. The ritual might look fussy, but it protects the bragging rights that ripple through farm-supply stores all winter.
By 9 a.m. pickup beds begin lining Kansas Street, each orange behemoth cradled in hay. Volunteers in leather gloves conduct a soft-spot scan, brushing off mud so foreign material can’t pad the reading. At 11 a.m. the four-point lifting harness takes center stage, nylon straps hugging the pumpkin’s shoulders while an engine hoist eases it skyward. Growers step back, fingers cleared, and the crowd hushes just long enough to hear the click of the scale lock. At noon the weigh master announces the number first, the name second, building a suspense that sends camera shutters fluttering like prairie grass before a storm.
Prime Viewing and Gear Tips for Every Kind of Visitor
Families chasing shade and stroller-wide curb cuts should gravitate to the east side of the square. That block enters afternoon shadow by one o’clock, shielding phone screens from glare and keeping little ones cool. Bring refillable water bottles—many farm booths stay cash-only to dodge card fees—and plant yourself within dashing distance of the nearest Porta-potties for quick kid runs.
Garden and home-grow enthusiasts will want ears, not just eyes, on the action. Hover near the grower pens during check-in to overhear debates on single-vine pruning versus double-vine strategies and whether calcium nitrate beats worm castings for late-season bulking. A pocket notebook—or voice memo app if your hands are full of kettle corn—captures those nuggets for next spring’s seed-starting bench.
Retiree and snowbird RVers can stage rigs at the high-school overflow lot on Kansas Street, a level patch roomy enough for slide-outs and lawn chairs. From there it’s a flat three-block walk to the square, where benches under mature honey-locusts offer the quietest vantage point. Arrive by mid-morning to avoid jockeying for space with carnival trucks unloading for unrelated festival setups.
Social-media content creators chasing that perfect glow should note that golden-hour light slants through Main Street storefronts around 5 p.m., backlighting the hoist for cinematic silhouettes. LTE coverage usually pings four bars, but upload speeds dip as the crowd swells; draft your reels offline and hit publish once you’re back at the RV park’s high-speed tier or a corner café with fiber.
Working professionals on a tight timeline can squeeze the spectacle into a Saturday morning. Park by 10 a.m., catch the noon drumroll, and be on the road by 1:30. A reliable cell signal blankets most of the square, and the old courthouse steps on the south edge provide a semi-quiet perch for checking emails between weigh-ins.
Side-Trip Ideas to Round Out the Weekend
If you roll into town the day before, detour thirty minutes to Bartlett Arboretum for a leisurely fall-color stroll beneath century-old cypress trees. The gravel parking lot accommodates big Class A coaches without the nerve-wracking low limbs you find at smaller parks. Arriving early also lets you shake off road fatigue before the bustle of weigh-in day.
After the weigh-off, unpack your folding e-bike and coast the Prairie Sunset Trail, a crushed-limestone rail spur that starts flat and stays that way—easy on knees and camera gear alike. Need more gourds? Hollow Hill Farm opens its U-Pick patch every afternoon. Clippers, wheelbarrows, and a potable hose let you rinse dirt before stowing decorative gourds in the RV basement, thwarting the fruit flies that love damp stems.
Rainy skies? Point your dash toward Coffeyville Aviation Heritage Museum, where pull-through spots on the south apron mean you can leave the toad hooked up and skip the backing ballet. The exhibits span early barnstorming feats to Cold War trainers, giving a weather-proof taste of regional history. You’ll head back to your rig with both dry shoes and fresh travel tales.
When the crowd filters off Main Street, keep the harvest magic rolling just down the road at Junction West Coffeyville RV Park. Pull into a roomy, full-hookup site, upload those slow-mo hoist videos on the high-speed Wi-Fi, and toast the day around a crackling campfire while the kids chase fireflies instead of carnival lines. Ready to plant your own weekend tradition? Reserve your spot today and let the giants of Liberty lead you home to Junction West.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If the weigh-off isn’t on the public schedule, how do I know when to show up?
A: Growers announce the date by word-of-mouth about two weeks out, but you can reliably bank on the first Saturday of Liberty Fall Fest; plan to be on City Square by 10 a.m. to watch check-in and stay through the noon weigh-in drumroll.
Q: Does it cost anything to watch the pumpkins get weighed?
A: Nope—spectating is free, so your only expenses are kettle corn, lemonade, or any fall crafts that catch your eye at the surrounding booths.
Q: Where’s the best spot for families with strollers and wiggly kids?
A: Stake out the east side of the square; curb cuts there are stroller-wide, shade rolls in by early afternoon, and the nearest Porta-potties are a quick dash away for bathroom breaks.
Q: I’m driving a mid-size RV; where can I park without stress?
A: The high-school overflow lot on Kansas Street has long, level spaces that welcome rigs with slide-outs, and it’s only a flat three-block walk to the square.
Q: What time should I arrive to avoid the heaviest crowds?
A: Roll in before 9:30 a.m.; you’ll beat the carnival trucks, find easier parking, and still catch the 11 a.m. hoist that kicks off the main weigh-off action.
Q: Can I chat with growers and pick up tips for my own garden?
A: Yes—hover near the check-in pens between 9 and 11 a.m. and most growers are happy to talk soil amendments, pruning tricks, and even hand you an extra Atlantic Giant seed envelope.
Q: Are photos and video recording…