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December 2008 issue	In this issue Table of Contents Feature: The year of getting closer Feature: Hungry as a bear Feature: Plight of the bumblebee Feature: The messenger The Inside Story Editor’s Notebook Reverberations À la carte

From his farm near Windsor, N.S., Howard Dill (above) started an international craze for growing giant pumpkins. He began crossbreeding pumpkins in the 1970s and grew his first world champion — weighing 197 kilograms — in 1979. Dill won three more consecutive world championships after that, sealing the reputation of his Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds, which are now sold around the world, and igniting pumpkin-driven tourism in his hometown. His seeds routinely produce behemoths that smash world records, tipping the scales at more than 675 kilograms.

Sadly, this is the first year Dill did not attend the Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival, which was inspired by his passion for pumpkins. He died in May at the age of 73. He will be remembered not only for his prowess at growing gourds but for his love of hockey. Long Pond, believed by some sports historians to be the birthplace of hockey, is located on his land.

Dill’s children will continue to run the farm, which has been in the family for more than a century. “Growers say his legacy will always live on because of the seed,” says his son Danny. “Dad has done a lot for Windsor. I mean, he’s been on the cover of The Wall Street Journal five times.”

For the rest of this story, visit your local newsstand or go to our store to buy this issue.

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