GROW's popular annual contest to guess the weight of its giant pumpkin has returned. The Pumpkin Guess-A-Roo Contest, now in its 18th year, has sparked countless funny guesses and stories.

The bright orange behemoth sits near the front window at GROW, Manhattan Beach's independent and locally owned grocery store. Check it out (no lifting allowed!), write down your guess and your contact information on a piece of paper, and submit it.

The person whose guess is closest to the actual weight will have the pumpkin delivered to their home. The deadline for making a guess (and the delivery date) is Friday, October 27.

Each year GROW receives 350 to 400 guesses during the Guess-a-Roo, said GROW owner Barry Fisher.

"The best was a little boy who measured the height of the pumpkin putting one fist on top of the other until he had the number of 'fists' high: 32," said Fisher. "He then said, 'My fist weighs 1 pound, so the pumpkin weighs 32 pounds.'  I wanted to load it into his car that second."

However, said Fisher, "It really comes down to just enjoying the look on kids faces when they walk in the shop and are eye to eye with a pumpkin. It’s hard not to share in their excitement."

The contest has also been a learning experience. In the early years of the contest, the pumpkin would sit in front of GROW's sunny front window. One year, on the delivery date, the team picked up the pumpkin to deliver it...only to watch the bottom drop out. The pumpkin had rotted through. 

That was a huge bummer for the GROW crew, who then had to go out and buy another giant pumpkin. "Try to find a giant pumpkin two days before Halloween," Fisher added wryly.

From that year on, the staff has always made sure to keep the pumpkin in a shaded spot.