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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
Y’all. That was hot. Was it the hottest Watermelon Carnival to have ever been carnival-ed? I don’t know but there’s a chance. The watermelons deciding to become most ripe on the hottest weekend of the year is a really sadistic move on their part. I still love ‘em, though. So cruel, so tasty.
When we have any conversations complaining about the heat at the Watermelon Carnival let’s make one thing clear: The Water Valley Chamber of Commerce cannot control the weather. I bet they wish they could! I imagine nobody checked their weather apps this past week (month, year?) more than the Chamber folks who were throwing this whole party. I imagine they’re glad when Sunday comes around and they can go back to worrying about the weather in terms of their own personal safety and not that of thousands of people who may or may not have prepared, timed, or hydrated properly before setting off on an all-day watermelon-themed roast-a-thon.
Maybe next time the two percent tourism tax comes up for a vote then we can consider all the park benches, shade trees, pavilions, cooling mist fans, large green spaces to throw out quilts and lawn chairs for lounging and splashpads lit up in red and green we could provide for ourselves and our thousands of tourists who come for the event. If you paid $38 on Saturday for a corndog and a bloomin’ onion then imagine how much better it would have been to pay $38.75 for a corndog, a bloomin’ onion and a cool, shady place to sit with your friends and family for a couple hours! Best seventy-five cents spent all year.
I’ve noticed over the years that the Carnival is getting bigger and bigger and, in turn, expanding further and further down Main Street toward the downtown business district. I think this is terrific. I loved seeing the food trucks from one end of town to the other.
From the old-time trolley busy taking people back and forth to the buying/selling/eating of watermelons at the giant watermelon trailers set up in Railroad Park to watching the much-loved Antique Car Parade travel to and from the Depot Park, the Carnival is active all over town. At this rate, we may eventually see both sections of the Carnival meet in the middle and then we’d have a continuous one-mile long Watermelon Carnival! Does this have potential for another Guinness Book of World Records goal – The World’s Geographically Longest Watermelon Carnival?!
My favorite part of the carnival is always the Friday Night Street Dance. I think the hot weather on Saturday was just making up for how absolutely pleasant the temperatures and humidity levels were on Friday night. Whoever’s job it was at the Chamber to pray to the watermelon gods that the Friday Night Street Dance go off well and with moderate temperatures, well, you are a favored person in the eyes of the Great Watermelon In The Sky because your prayer request was answered in full. Thank you for staying in good with the Big Rind upstairs.
It was a great time. Now it’s time to start hydrating for next year!
