One Arkansas city is known for its cardboard boat races. Another welcomes the Toad Master every year to celebrate the city’s history. Just north of Batesville, the Cave City Watermelon Festival marks the homecoming and pride of its namesake city.
This year’s festival will be held Aug. 6-8 and, according to organizers, is expected to be a “rind-thumpin’, lip-smackin’, seed-spittin’ good time.”
The festival is in its 36th year, and Julie Johnson, chairwoman of the Watermelon Festival Committee, said the festival has become an important event many people in the community look forward to every year.
“The festival was started 36 years ago by some ladies working for the chamber of commerce,” Johnson said. “A lot of small towns in Arkansas — small towns across the South — have festivals every year. We didn’t have a festival, so they looked around and asked, ‘What do we have?’ We have watermelons. … It’s a way to celebrate and showcase what we have here.”
Johnson said this year’s entertainment and kid-centered activities will be exciting for visitors and organizers alike.
On Saturday night, the Grammy Award-winning band Shenandoah will be the headline entertainment at the festival. The Palmers will headline Thursday night, and the Lockhouse Orchestra will be the Friday-night feature act.
“We’re excited about having nationally known artists this year,” Johnson said.
The children’s activities have also grown for the 2015 festival. Johnson said one new feature she is excited about is a special contest that she hopes helps younger generations get excited about growing watermelons. Two local watermelon growers provided watermelon plants to children in the area, and there will be a special judging of the fruit that comes from those plants.
“We’re trying to instill in these kids the importance of keeping tradition going,” she said.
There will also be a fishing derby Friday morning and a Wet Zone at the park for kids to use to cool down. Tickets for the Wet Zone are $10 each.
“We’re also very excited that we’ll have a lot more activities for the kids,” Johnson said. “There are just so many new things.”
Throughout the festival, there will be artisans, craft and food vendors, and free entertainment. While the vendor spots are already filled, Johnson said, there are still a lot of ways people can get involved in the event. The Bethany Project Melon Dash 5K Race will take place at 7 a.m. Saturday, the Cave City Cruizers Car Show will begin registration at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the festival parade entries will start lining up at 10 a.m. Saturday. Other contests, shows and activities will also be available.
“We want our festival to be a sort of homecoming for people,” Johnson said. “It’s about roots. It’s about coming home.”
Admission to the Cave City Watermelon Festival is free, and the event will be held in Cave City Park. For more information about the festival, visit www.cavecityarkansas.info/watermelon-festival/ or the Cave City Watermelon Festival Facebook page.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.