"Marmaduke" claimed the title of king of the cabbages Friday night at the 19th annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off at the Alaska State Fair. At nearly 118 pounds, it wasn't enough to unseat the world record of 138.25 pounds set in 2012, but the washing-machine-size vegetable grown by Steve Hubacek of Wasilla topped this year's closest competitor by 4 pounds.
The expectations of the crowd in the bleachers at the Farm Exhibits Building were high. Hubacek and Scott Robb of Palmer, the grower of the world-record cabbage known as the "Palmer Pachyderm," had each brought in plants weighing more than 111 pounds when the fair opened. These were for display, not for the Weigh-Off, so many presumed that the growers thought they had bigger offerings for the contest.
But as the cabbages came off the trucks and into the ring, it was evident there'd be no world records this year. Robb said he thought his contest entry, "Gorgeous George," outweighed the 111-pounder, but he couldn't be sure. "I hope I didn't bring in my biggest one last week," he said.
Read more: 'Marmaduke' wins Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off at Alaska State Fair
Watch this video on Vimeo or YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos. Contact Tara Young at tara(at)alaskadispatch.com.