’85 Carnival Sees 66 Pound ‘Big Un’
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Joe Elliot with Bailey Walker and the 66-pound champion.
It was a simpler time back in 1985 when Water Valley hosted its sixth Watermelon Carnival. The largest melon only weighed 66 pounds and schools weren’t scheduled to open for another couple of weeks. The Watermelon Queen was Marla Sharp, Julie Ingram was Teen Queen and Heather Moorman was Junior Miss.
That 66-pounder brought $35, the top bid, from Louisiana visitor Earl Evans.
Local arts and crafts were still available, like those great wooden toys made by the late Rib Van Winkle.
Food items were mostly local, too, including old- fashioned Pronto Pups (corn dogs) and home made lemonade from the Pilot Club.
Entertainment included the Keith Playschool Dancers, Karen Hamilton Twirlers, Debra Kaye Dancers, Jimmy Goodwin Gospel Singers, the Danny Dickey Band and a karate exhibition. Any Carlisle and Chelle Wilson were also there. That’s the same ladies who will entertain at
this year’s Music Festival. On the front page of the Herald youngsters Stacy Avant, Heather Horan and Kathey Maynor were pictured in clown makeup looking over the craft booths. Inside Dalton Rogers was shown driving the city’s oldest fire truck taking a load of kids on a tour of the town.
The band, “Dixie,” played for the street dance, held in honor of the Bank of Water Valley’s 103rd birthday.
Lions Club members and volunteers, Elizabeth Caulfield, Ernie Aune, Cecil Ford, Stanley Crow Eddie Aune and a host of others, fed over 800 people. Included among the diners were “in-laws and out- laws” of the J. P. Hart family.
Bennie Cole Taylor was pictured covered with sweat as he cooked the last of more than a thousand burgers for the club.
50 Years Ago – Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held Sunday afternoon, Aug. 3, 1975, officially opening the West Wing of Yalobusha General Hospital.
Hershell Howell, chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees, was master of ceremonies.Howell introduced the speaker for the program, Rep. Jamie Whitten, congressman for the first district.
Whitten praised the people of Yalobusha County for providing such excellent health facilities for the people of the area and expressed his pleasure at being able to assist in procuring federal funds for the hospital project.
Dariel Koonce, member of the Yalobusha Board of Supervisors cut the ribbon. The new addition to the hospital contains 26 private rooms furnished by individuals and organizations.
