LORDS OF THE GOURD: THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

LORDS OF THE GOURD: THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

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Acclaimed Filmmaker Mark Lewis' Newest Documentary Follows Passionate Gardeners In the World of Competitive Pumpkin-Growing, Where Size Really Does Matter -

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The extreme gardeners who enter their giant pumpkins in the Cooperstown Pumpkin Fest weigh-off every year have one ambition: to grow a world-record holder and enter the halls of gardening glory. These gurus of the gourd nurture their fruits through harsh weather, floods, animal attacks and even vandalism to produce magnificent pumpkins of monster proportions.

Some say it's a hobby, others call it a sport, but most agree it's an obsession. LORDS OF THE GOURD: THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE, which follows several single-minded competitors as they approach the 2006 event, airs Wednesday, September 5, 2007, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS, with an encore broadcast Monday, October 22, 2007, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Growing giant pumpkins is a passionate pastime -- and serious business. "I consider it gardening at its finest," says Cooperstown competitor Joe Pukos. The costs are high, the sacrifices many and the competition cutthroat. Most contenders will leave with nothing but a pile of pumpkin pulp to show for the countless hours of preparation. The successful will score generous prize money and possibly lasting fame as the man or woman who nurtured the world's weightiest pumpkin.

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