It’s here! The 54th Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival will be held this week, July 28-29 in Farmerville. There are loads of activities for everybody and it’s always one of the busiest – and most fun – weekends in Union Parish.
The Louisiana Watermelon Festival, sponsored by Union General Hospital and put on by the Farmerville Jaycees, was founded by the Jaycees in 1963. Officially, the Watermelon Festival is celebrated each year as a way of promoting the watermelon industry and showing pride in their harvest. But what it really does is give folks a great chance to have some fun, food and fellowship in the mild cool July north Louisiana weather. Okay, that last part may be a stretch.
The popular t-shirts that commemorate the event will go on sale sometime next week 
right on up through the actual festival. I’ve already got one for each of my family. There is a complete list of events below. Events will include a tennis tournament, bicycle and tricycle races, arm wrestling contest, watermelon eating and seed spitting contests, a best dressed watermelon competition and a street dance. During these activities, arts and craft vendors, food and games will be open on the Courthouse Square.
Events on Saturday begin with a breakfast for the growers entering their watermelons in the size and quality contests. Watermelons may be entered in the size contest beginning at 8 am, the size contests is judged strictly on the basis of weight. The heaviest three watermelons in each category will be auctioned to the public. Quality contest watermelons are judged at the Union Parish Extension Service by measuring sugar content of the watermelons with a refractometer.
At 9 am Saturday, the festival parade will begin at Farmerville High School and travel down Main Street before making a block and returning to the high school. The week will feature a Treasure Hunt with clues on Z107.5 radio. Vendors will be open on the Courthouse Square. The watermelon auction begins at 10 am on the Courthouse Square. The Miss Louisiana Watermelon Festival contestants, along with reigning and visiting queens, will greet the public beginning at noon. Check out the festival fishing tournament as well. For more information on that, call Dale Taylor at 368-0666 or 325-1039.
The Louisiana Watermelon Pageant is one of the most prestigious in the state. The Teen and Miss contestants have an opportunity to continue on to compete in the Miss Louisiana Pageant. Our local businesses help by sponsoring the pageant in many ways, by monetary donation for the Teen & Miss winners to use toward their education.
You can also keep up with any news or developments on the Jaycees Facebook page:
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