‘What A Melon’ Wagon Has Rolled Since 1995
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Tommy Latham has only missed one year of hauling watermelons during the carnival in over two decades. The year he missed, he and his brother made a trip to South Dakota for the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
One of the ingredients that makes the annual Watermelon Carnival successful is many hard-working volunteers. For some, that may mean rolling up their sleeves to help each summer during their three-year term on the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Board. Others find a spot, a position that needs filling and return year after year to help.
Tommy Latham is one of the volunteers who discovered a niche, a unique role that is essential to Saturday’s signature event – the Largest Watermelon Contest. Latham has a customized “What A Melon” wagon that he pulls behind his four-wheeler to transport the giant melons to the gazebo in City Park for the noon contest. The melon growers count on Latham’s help, as he can navigate the sidewalks in the packed parks to get the melons to the weigh-in.
Latham’s job started informally in the mid 1990s when he helped man a snow cone booth as a fundraiser for his church youth group. A friend loaned him a utility vehicle to haul ice to the booth, and some musicians were trying to get their equipment in the park and flagged him down to help. Not long afterwards, the melon growers were also flagging him down. Latham purchased a four-wheeler and used it to tow a garden wagon to haul the melons. A few years later he found a larger trailer and customized it to haul the watermelons, including adding the “What A Melon” sign on the side.
In the years that followed, Chamber officials would reach out to Latham to make sure he was ready to roll. His “What a Melon” wagon became increasingly important as the melons got bigger and bigger each year. Latham recalled that when he started hauling the melons, most of the them were Jubilees. Before 1999, the 100-pound mark had only been recorded one time. Since then the melons have been much larger as growers switched to the Carolina Cross hybrid melon.
Tommy Latham and his son, Leigh Latham, have competed in the annual 3K Run/Walk multiple times. In 2014 they won the costume contest held in conjunction with the 3K Run/Walk as the Melonaters with their gladiator garb.
“The watermelon contest is something to see. A lot of people look forward to seeing the big melons each year,” Latham added. “It is the highpoint of the carnival.”
Latham’s hauling duties also include helping load the massive melons into his trailer. He has never dropped one, but there have been a few close calls. And there was also that time when he reached down to grab one and the back of his shorts ripped. He went next door to Faith Baptist Church and his pastor’s wife sewed them up.
“I put them back on and went right back to work,” Latham recalls with a chuckle. “But I can tell as I get older, those 150 pound melons get heavier.”
Each year the top three watermelons are auctioned and Latham’s duties have also expanded to include making home deliveries for people who purchase them. He has hauled the giant melons all across town as they become the showpiece at a school reunion or other functions that always accompany carnival weekend.
Latham has plenty of other carnival memories including a few awards in the annual 3K run/walk that marks the start of Saturday’s carnival activities each year. During the 1994 carnival Latham and his son, Leigh Latham, won first place in their age categories in the walk. Two decades later they were back in action in the 2014 Run/Walk dressed as Roman Gladiators and placed first in the costume contest that was included in the event that year.
“I like to make somebody’s day a little brighter every chance I get,” Latham said.
A Water Valley native, Latham has an impressive list of other community accolades. During the city’s 2008 sesquicentennial celebration, he won the contest for designing the city flag. He was the unofficial third place winner in the world record watermelon eating contest in 2019. He had every intention of winning and easily advanced to the final round.
“I was surprised I got beat,” Latham added as his fellow competitors noted his melon-eating speed was off the charts.
But winning is secondary, Latham shares what makes the carnival so special is seeing friends who have moved off and come home for the big weekend. Or spending time with family members soaking in all the action.
“And the time you spend with family and friends is limited, there nothing is more important than that,” Latham noted.
Tommy Latham designed the flag that was selected by Water Valley aldermen in 2008 as the official city flag. Latham and former Mayor Bill Norris display the flag during the sesquicentennial celebration.
