WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Take note, Charlie Brown: The "Great Pumpkin" has arrived, reported WXII-TV in Winston-Salem.

Officials at the Dixie Classic Fair in North Carolina said the colossal gourd grown by Ricky Holder, of Winston-Salem, weighed in at 1,257.8 pounds, crushing the current state record of 960 pounds.

Holder's pumpkin already won the top prize at the Elkin Pumpkin Festival -- and the $1,000 in prize money. Holder won $125 for taking first prize at the Dixie Classic Fair.

"When we heard of the pumpkin coming in, we knew it would be gigantic, but we didn't know it was going to break the record for the state," said David Sparks, Dixie Classic Fair director. "We're very excited for folks to see it, as well as all of the competitive entries this year."

Holder said growing his pumpkin was a labor of love and hard work. At one point, the pumpkin was putting on 38 pounds each day.

The world record weight for a pumpkin was set in 2007. That massive gourd weighed in at almost 1,700 pounds.

The world record fastest time for carving a regular-sized pumpkin is 24.03 seconds. Holder's pumpkin, which will be showcased with other large and interesting horticulture displays, might take a little longer than that.