The time has come, my friends. Can you smell the watermelons?
One of the great things about the Hampton County Watermelon Festival is that it's so large and awesome that we can't pack it all into one week, so we actually have a few PRE-festival events coming up, and I don't want them to slip up on us.
I don't want any of you festival-loving folks to miss one minute of the upcoming 69th annual Hampton County Watermelon Festival, so listen closely, grab a pen and mark your calendar, and let's get started.
The pre-festivities kick off this weekend with the Melon Miss and Master Pageant, which will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 4 in the Wade Hampton High School gymnasium. While the deadline has passed to sign your child up, come on out and cheer for all your friends and neighbors striving to win a crown!
The following weekend we will have the 7th annual Motorcycle Ride on Saturday, June 11 beginning at Harold's Country Club on Highway 17A-21, Yemassee. Registration is from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with the first bike out at 10:30 a.m. and the last bike in at 3 p.m. Entry fee is $15 per bike, with $5 for an additional rider, so bring your motorcycle momma! There will also be door prizes and drawings.
And then we have the much-anticipated Mr. Hampton County all-male beauty pageant to be held June 17 at 7:30 a.m. in the Wade Hampton gym. Now the way this works is simple: A bunch of brave guys, in an effort to raise money for Relay For Life, are going to dress like ladies (myself included) and compete in a real, professional beauty contest with actual judges. Events will include formal wear, melon wear, and even a talent competition, and boy do these guys have some musical talent and more!
(I've never worn a dress before. I hope I don't like it. I hope I don't get the urge to do it every Friday night.)
Now, don't forget that this year's Family Fun Day (and the official opening ceremonies) has been moved from the traditional Father's Day Sunday (so we can all spend more time with our wonderful fathers, who never get enough appreciation) to Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We decided to start earlier in the day so that we can get everyone out of the heat and back home to their air conditioners.
(Boy, this Watermelon Festival committee is so nice and thoughtful. They think of everything!)
A few more things you might need to know before the festival gets underway. Beverly Johnson is working hard to revamp the Decorated Door and Business Showcase contest, so now's the time to paint/decorate your place today to get in that watermelon spirit. Just call Beverly at 943-9319 for details.
And, if you're looking for something else to put you in that warm and fuzzy watermelon spirit, this year's crop of official Watermelon Festival T-shirts is now in, so stop by the usual locations and pick out your size today!
The official Watermelon Festival Program, aka "The Book," is chock full of everything you need to know about the festival and should be off the presses later this week (I'll keep you posted on where to get your keepsake copy.) And don't forget to pick up your copy of the The Hampton County Guardian on June 16 for our super special Watermelon Festival section. With The Guardian in one hand, and The Book in the other, you will truly be prepared to enjoy this awesome festival!
And be on the lookout for the Summer issue of Sandlapper, which is scheduled to roll off the presses in early June. The Watermelon Festival and this year's theme, Honoring Our Teachers, will be a two-page feature in the magazine. Stop by The Frock Shop in Hampton and grab your copy!
For more on the festival, including a full schedule of events, go to www.melonfest.org.
That's all for now, watermelon lovers, but we're just getting warmed up. Stay tuned for the next edition of Festival Footnotes, and keep on dreaming about those Watermelons, Watermelons, Watermelons.
See ya at The Festival!