1998 would turn out to be the worst year yet for the plight of the giant pumpkin in San Bruno. Our wonderful neighbors, who are all retired and have nothing better to do than contemplate the fate of everyone other than themselves, decided to question the area of land where we grow the pumpkins.

Now picture this. There is an area just on the other side of our backyard fence where, over the years, rain and water runoff has eroded the hillside. In an effort to minimize the loss of land and soil, we built a retaining wall — using all of our own labor and resources — to stop erosion.

Now, down the hillside there is nothing. No homes, no roads, just an unforested city park on one side and a county park on the other side. Quite a ways down too I might add.

You'd think that we were doing everyone a favor by taking preventive measures to stop the erosion by building the retainer wall, but apparently not. One neighbor decided to call the city and report that we grow pumpkins on city property.

The city came out and said we were on the evesment and that we could no longer grow pumpkins. SLAM! We've donated the pumpkin to the local church so that children and adults alike could enjoy taking pictures and marveling at the size of the pumpkin during their Halloween party. Now, it would no longer happen. One corner of the retainer wall was over the property line and we needed to stop using this area.

Our lovely neighbor, who's freaking' cenile, succeeded. No more pumpkins. Now nobody can enjoy our hobby of growing giant pumpkins — now or in the future.

But wait, Never Say Never...
Rumor has it during Halloween week in 2004, with the recent addition of another "legal" gardening area, the Giant Pumpkin will be re-grown again beginning May 2005. Stay tuned.