DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   It took a forklift and a cargo net to remove the massive vegetable from Jim Beauchemin's Goffstown, New Hampshire, pumpkin patch.    But from a padded perch at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts, the gourd placed Beauchemin on top of New England's giant pumpkin world.    His pumpkin became the New England champion when it tipped the scales at a hefty 1,314.8 pounds.    "The Topsfield Fair is the elite weigh-off in the country," Beauchemin said. "To win it—I call it the pinnacle of my growing years. That's why we do it, the hope of someday winning a title." How to "Go Heavy"    Beauchemin is part of a growing group of giant-pumpkin aficionados who thrill at watching a well-tended pumpkin swell to massive proportions. "You plant a seed the size of your fingernail and end up with a thousand-pound {450-kilogram] pumpkin," said George Hoomis, director of the New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Association. ...

   La Tomatina  is a  festival  that is held in the  Valencian  town of  Buñol , in which participants throw  tomatoes  at each other. It is held the last Wednesday in August, during the week of festivities of  Buñol . History Changes Throughout Its History    The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in Buñol since 1944 or 1945. No one is completely certain how this event originated. Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local  food fight  among friends, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, the anarchic aftermath of an accidental lorry spillage. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration.    In 1950, the council allowed the party to happen. The next year however it was not approved, thanks to pressure from ...