FESTIVALS

Two cities roll out melons

Bricen Carter poses with his prize-winning 86-pound melon at last year’s Cave City Watermelon Festival.
Bricen Carter poses with his prize-winning 86-pound melon at last year’s Cave City Watermelon Festival.

The Hope Watermelon Festival, which begins today, has etched names into the history of the town.

There's John S. Gibson, who began it all in 1916 by giving out prizes for the largest watermelons. The father-son duo Ivan and Lloyd Bright, who broke the Guinness World Record for heaviest watermelon in 1979 and 1985.

Hope Watermelon Festival

Today-Saturday, Fair Park, Hope

Admission: Free, $5 parking fee

(870) 777-3640

hopemelonfest.com

Cave City Watermelon Festival

Today-Saturday, City Park, Cave City

Admission: Free

(870) 283-5301

cavecityarkansas.info/watermelon-festival/

The festival is the pride and joy of Hope, says Mark Keith, executive director of the Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce.

"It's just small-town America at its best," Keith says.

The Hope Watermelon Festival will begin at noon today. The 7:30 p.m. Friday concert will feature the "Liverpool Legends," a Beatles cover band on the CMC Steel Products Stage in Legion Field. Advance tickets are available at the chamber office for $12 for adults and $6 for children. Tickets the day of the show are $20 for adults.

Saturday is contest day, with heaviest watermelon, seed spitting and watermelon tosses on the agenda. All events are at Fair Park in Hope.

Keith says he expects 20,000 to 30,000 people to stop by the festival, and believes that whoever comes by will be able to see why the festival is such a big deal to the people in his town.

"It's a wonderful thing. A wonderful, wonderful thing," Keith says.

CAVE CITY

Cave City's Watermelon Festival, also taking place this weekend, its the largest event of the year in Sharp County, says promotions coordinator Crystal Crow. Crow expects almost 10,000 visitors to the town of less than 2,000 over the weekend.

"The festival is very important here, very important," Crow says. "Just about every business in town helps support the event."

In Cave City, a town that boasts "the world's sweetest watermelon," the festival is the focal point of the year, even hosting a high school reunion in the midst of watermelon tastings and pancake breakfast.

"It's almost like homecoming," Crow says.

The Cave City festival will begin at 5 p.m. today at the City Park with watermelon judging. At 9 a.m. Friday kids can compete in the fishing derby at the City Park pond. A co-sanctioned rodeo with a $5 entry will be at 8 p.m. Friday. A 5K run and pancake breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, followed by a petting zoo at 8 a.m.

Weekend on 08/06/2015

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