We flat-out defy you to come up with something more refreshing on a hot, humid summer’s day than a slice of ice-old watermelon. Such food or drink does not exist.
Proof? Travel to one of the legions of watermelon festivals across the country, order up a nice slice and savor the sticky-sweet essence of it all.
Here are three suggestions:
The Monticello Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce lays on its Watermelon Festival June 15 – 16, just east of Tallahassee. This is the 62nd such event. This gathering is the essence of small-town America. There’s a parade, pageants, 5K Melon Run, baby photo contest (these can get mean, folks), car show, essay writing scholarship contest and bed race – as well as food and crafts vendors galore.
Watermelon roots run deep down in this part of Florida. Back in the late 1880s, Jefferson County was considered the top watermelon seed supplier in the world. Some of the descendants of those seeds are still around for the savoring this summer.
Also down south, in Chipley, Fla., resides the 56th Annual Panhandle Watermelon Festival. June 22 and 23 are the dates, and Nashville recording artists Mark Chestnut headlines the goings-on. There’s a run, the aptly-names ‘Hot Trot’ 5K, and a really neat Summertime Magic Art Show. Then, of course, there are watermelons. Lots and lots of them. Bring napkins.
Finally, head to the Carytown section of Richmond for the 29th Annual Watermelon Festival. 3,000 watermelons await the sweaty, ravenous throngs. This is the largest one-day festival in Virginia. It comes replete with 100 vendors, one of the largest kids’ areas on the East Coast, and the singular style of Carytown itself. Program your GPS for 3126 W. Cary St., Richmond, Va. The festival does battle with the dog days of summer on Aug. 5.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Jonf728)
