Plant A (Watermelon) Seed And Watch It Grow
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Mia Allred has several nice watermelons growing for the Youth Watermelon Contest. She is the daughter of Eric and Whitney Allred.
The Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce strives to keep the annual carnival exciting and unique and this year’s lineup includes a new event for youth in the county. More than a dozen youth signed up for the inaugural Youth Watermelon Contest to compete in a fun challenge to see who can grow the biggest watermelon for the noon weigh-in at City Park on Saturday.
Courtney Daniels, a dedicated member of the Chamber’s board, expressed enthusiasm for the new venture, highlighting its potential to add even more fun to the Carnival’s lineup of activities. “We’re thrilled to introduce this exciting event,” she remarked. “Each year, we strive to introduce novel experiences, and a youth watermelon growing contest offers an engaging, hands-on opportunity for young participants.”
The junior melons will be weighed just before the big boys, but there is a different twist for this event.
MSU Extension ANR Agent Missy Burney reported five seeds from the same melon variety, fertilizer and instructions were provided to each contestant in late April to ensure a level “growing” field. The purpose is to ensure the kids have the same amount of growing time and the same variety, and the challenge has been nurturing the plants all summer to see who can coax the biggest watermelon from the soil.
The seeds were provided by Cypress Creek Farming Co. in Coffeeville. Burney also explained that the youth are growing regular-size melons as opposed to the giant Carolina Cross melons typically grown for the carnival’s longstanding melon contest that take longer to mature and much more work.
Water Valley Dental is sponsoring the Youth Watermelon Growing Contest, providing cash prizes, ribbons and the trophies displayed by Shannon Killen and Christy Mills.
The new contest is a collaboration between the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and Yalobusha County 4-H and includes a junior division for ages six to 12 and a senior division for 13 to 18 year-olds. Burney said that 14 participants planted melons, but two had to drop out of the competition after the deer ate their plants. The young growers have sent pictures to Burney periodically to show how their melons are progressing.
“Except for the two brothers who lost their plants to deer, the pictures I have seen some melons that are quite nice,” she reported. “The youth seem excited and proud of growing these watermelons, their parents and grandparents are also proud of them.”
Cash awards will be presented to the top three growers in each category – $75 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third. Water Valley Dental is sponsoring the contest, providing the cash prizes and ribbons for the top three winners in both categories and trophies for the first place winners. After the weigh-in, the winning watermelons will be auctioned with the proceeds going to the local 4-H clubs.
Burney hopes that with the success experienced with this new venture so far this year, even more participants will be involved in the contest in the coming years.
“I would like to see 30 or 40 children sign up for next year’s carnival,” she said. “This is an opportunity for the young competitors to unplug from their phones and enjoy being outside.”
Burney also noted that the satisfaction of growing the melons can be a life lesson for this group of kids.
“Getting them involved will also build on the longstanding heritage of growing watermelons in our county and could help continue this tradition,” she added.
