Rick Mercer, pumpkin paddler

Curious farm-goers got a thrill and a laugh when Canadian comedian Rick Mercer showed up at the Hughli’s Blueberry Farm in Pembroke to try his paddle at the giant pumpkin boat race in a world-record-setting weekend.

Brian and Judy Hugli, who have owned Hugli’s Blueberry Farms for over 30 years, opened their doors to the public as part of the 15th annual Rural Ramble.

Over 1,000 people turned out to see pumpkin cannon demonstrations and watch celebrity guests race enormous pumpkins across a small lake on the property.

They were also there to shake hands with a humourous hero. Rick Mercer, a staple on the Canadian comedy scene for years, showed up with a camera crew to film a segment for his television show The Mercer Report.

"The pumpkin that he was in weighed over 1,000 pounds. It was essentially a gigantic half-ton kayak made of pumpkin," said Brian Hugli.

Todd Cline, of Shawville, grew the lucky pumpkin that carried Mercer, a whopping monster that weighed 1,145 pounds. Mercer competed against celebrity guests including Olympic gold-medalist kayaker Sara Bouden and Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant.

The star’s chances were bleak in such a huge vessel, but he had some help from Bouden. After giving it a go on his own, Mercer wound up inviting Bouden to join him and share the workload.

"If you look at his Twitter and his blog, he was talking about being sore all over the next day. You’re using muscles just to keep it balanced, so you’re usually pretty sore for a while afterwards," said Brian.

On top of the celebrity hubbub, Brian and Judy were delighted when Cline, who has entered gourd contests for years, broke a world record with a 128.5 inch long gourd.

"It was an excellent weekend," said Hugli.

The Huglis invited Mercer to their farm after years of watching his television show. A 25th hour phone call left organizers scrambling to accommodate film crews, but Ottawa Valley Tourism spokesperson Melissa Johnston said it was a huge boon for the Rural Ramble.

"We had over 1,000 people visit the Hugli’s farm alone, not counting the visitors at the other 25 sites in the Rural Ramble," she said.

Johnston said the annual event is a draw because it allows Ottawa Valley farmers the chance to showcase their produce, and provides wholesome family entertainment for hundreds — all for $10 per person.

New sites this year included the Wobbles and Wags hobby farm, which showcased rare and unusual animals such as llamas, and ferrets. Another new site was the Tickle Island farm where kids took donkeys and ran through a bale maze.

"We had a really great event this year," said Johnston.