Ross makes a pitch for watermelon stamp

— U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., sees the watermelon as a slice of American history and wants a stamp of approval.

Ross has requested the national Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a postage stamp commemorating the watermelon.

In a letter to the committee, Ross offered his support to a petition by the National Watermelon Promotions Board and the National Watermelon Association to help “this iconic fruit get its own slice of American history.”

“I am just stunned. Stunned in a good way,” said Mark Keith, executive director of the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, regarding the proposal to have the watermelon honored with a postal stamp.

“If the stamp is approved, it will be like a gift in marketing. It’s a very nice gesture. It can only be good for Hope,” Keith said.

Hope watermelons are world class. Hempstead County farmer Lloyd Bright holds the world’s record for the largest watermelon, which weighed 268.8 pounds.

“Mike Ross is very much a friend of ours. He has bought the biggest watermelon for several years. This is a pleasant Christmas gift just mentioning the watermelon,” Keith said.

“For many years, watermelons have been a staple of American life, especially in Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District where farming has helped shape our culture and way of life,” Ross wrote in the letter.

“For instance, in my hometown of Hope, an annual watermelon festival is held which allows families and friends to come together and enjoy locally grown watermelons while participating in a great number of events that support the local community.”

The Hope Watermelon Festival has been held since the mid-1920s and features arts and crafts, food, entertainment and family-oriented games including a watermelon-eating contest, a seed-spitting contest and the Watermelon Olympics.

“The watermelon growers of Arkansas represent a significant portion of the agricultural sector, one of the greatest contributors to our local economy,” Ross said in his letter.

“On average, Arkansas watermelons have accounted for nearly 3,000 acres of cultivated farmland per year,” he said, adding that the multimilliondollar industry “employs many people whose families depend on the success and preservation of the watermelon as a staple of American life.”

The stamp advisory committee selects subjects of broad national interest for recommendation to the postmaster general, Ross said. About 25 new subjects for commemorative stamps are recommended each year, he said.

The complete process, from proposal to stamp production, can take as long as three years, Ross said.

“A postage stamp commemorating the watermelon would allow America to show thanks to the hard work and dedication of our local farmers for their help in providing both local and national communities with such an important crop,” Ross wrote.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 23 on 12/20/2009

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