Guess what, Watermelon Lovers? It's almost that time again. Hampton County Watermelon Festival time, that is!
The 69th edition of The Festival is just under a month away, and do you know what you're going to wear? How you're going to fix your hair?
The guys who are competing in the Mr. Hampton County pageant do.
Brace yourself, ladies and gentlemen, for the first ever Mr. Hampton County Pageant! A joint effort by The Watermelon Festival, Hampton County Relay For Life, and The Hampton County Guardian, this all male beauty pageant will raise money for two good causes while giving you tons of side-splitting entertainment.
Now, folks, this ain't like any beauty pageant you've ever seen. Not only are these brave men going to put on a dress, they are getting serious about this competition. While I've been sworn to secrecy by the contestants, some of these guys are already hard at work learning some new talents, and I think one guy is even having a dress specially made for him!
In addition to talent, categories include formal wear, melon wear, creativity, and on-stage question. Contestants will be divided into three age groups: Sugar Babies (how cute!), Jubilees, and of course the Charleston Grays. And the overall winner of this competition, which will be held June 17, 7:30 p.m., in the Wade Hampton High School Gymnasium, will be crowned the first-ever Mr. Hampton County.
But even better, the guy who raises the most money for Relay will be crowned Mr. Crimson Sweet! And all of these "man queens" will have the opportunity to ride in their own float in the Watermelon Parade.
(And guys, it's not too late to sign up. We've got room for several more contestants, but you have to sign up by May 31. But for more on that, check out my blog at www.hamptoncountyguardian.com.)
And since we're mixing things up a bit this year - gender wise - we've decided to add to our loyal corps of Melon Belles by creating a group of hard-working guys, the Melon Beaus.
Look for a Belle or a Beau at every event, especially if you have a question or need assistance.
And that's not all, folks. Festival Chairman Robert Brown is trying to bring us some more new events, like - gulp - bungee jumping! Can you believe that?
There's also talk of a Cook Off somewhere in town, and the Festival Committee is also opening up their own booth, the Melon Patch, to sell official Watermelon Festival memorabilia.
(But don't worry, you won't catch this old fool doing any bungee jumping, especially after I hit the Cook Off. Couch jumping is more my speed, but I'm sure the younger crowd will love it!)
Now here's some exciting news that even I can handle. Because of this year's theme, "Honoring Our Teachers" the Watermelon Festival will be featured in the summer issue of Sandlapper, the magazine of South Carolina, and in the June issue of S.C. Living. Folks from all over the Palmetto State are going to be reading all about our wonderful festival and our gorgeous county, so when they come to town y'all be sure to say "howdy" and give them some hometown hospitality.
Now there are a few changes you need to know about to enjoy this year's festival. For one, Family Fun Day has been moved to Saturday, June 18, so that everyone can spend more time with their Dads on Sunday, Father's Day.
(And look for more excitement this year at Family Fun Day, like snakes instead of your typical petting zoo.)
Also, the food concessions will be on the other side of the courthouse this year, on First Street East and Jackson Ave. East near Region's bank, which simply means you can burn off a couple more calories walking a little farther after you eat all them corn dogs and sausage dogs.
Well, that's about all the excitement my old festival-loving heart can stand in one day, but stay tuned for upcoming editions of Festival Footnotes, in the paper and on the Guardian's online edition, as we get geared up and hyped up about this awesome upcoming festival.
And don't forget to go to the official festival website, www.melonfest.org, and the Festival is also on Facebook. Just search under "Hampton County Watermelon Festival 2011."
Farmers, keep on growing those watermelons, watermelons, watermelons.
Se ya at the Festival!