5:00pm: Main stage Prize Melon Auction benefitting Arkansas Children's Hospital People dont have to have watermelons to live. For the town that boasts. Artisan Grill The Artisan Grill takes the food you love and gives it a flare that makes it more than special. You can always check the Cave City Watermelon Festival's website to get information on each of the certified growers. So many interesting treasures are held within these walls. This three-day event will include entertainment, a 5K run, pancake breakfast, parade, activities for kids and adults, and of course, a free melon feast, courtesy of the registered watermelon growers. But this is an issue they deal with and overcome by having loyal customers and some of the sweetest melons in the state. The First Baptist Church was organized in June of 1901. The preparation is always crazy, especially this time of year, just on a good year, Johnson said. Roadside stands are found throughout the city. Most actually want to know how to select the best and sweetest melon. The watermelon growers work hard all year long to produce the festival watermelons and proudly stand behind every melon they sell. From July 27-29 i n Cave City, Arkansas, you'll find a feast of watermelon courtesy of local growers; the website also notes that "Catfish dinners, pancake breakfasts, talent shows, watermelon judging contests, 5K runs, ice cream making contests, car shows and local entertainment have filled the event calendar" in previous years. Since 1980, they've. locate The rich, sandy soil that is exclusive to the area is what gives the melons such asweet flavor. He is excited to interact with people at the festival again. The continual hot weather has now put them about one week ahead of schedule in opening the stands. Marks Fly Shop Anglers that enjoy fly fishing will want to check out Marks fly shop for all the latest gear and custom tied flies. Thankfully, that changed once we finally shook winter and headed into May. You can even take a short side trip to check out their furniture and appliance store in Glencoe. WEATHERFORD, TEXAS - The north Texas city was once one of the state's biggest watermelon growers (not so much anymore) and once featured an oversized watermelon sculpture outside its courthouse. In the beginning, they took trips to sell melons. Meachams Family Restaurant This restaurant has been around for over 40 years. Mammoth Spring State Park The park is home to an old mill and hydroelectric plant, the old Frisco Train Depot and Museum, a park, walking trails and a gift shop. Julie said, There are no female melons, laughing in anticipation of the question, but stating it is one so many people ask. That congregation has continued to grow and is currently adding to its present structure to accommodate an ever-expanding membership. While watermelons are still at the center of our celebration, we also celebrate the people and businesses that make the Cave City area one of the greatest places in Arkansas! The Cave City Watermelon Festival Committee has added a new event this year called The Chad Wooldridge Memorial Pitch Tournament. The Cave City Watermelon Festival gets underway Thursday. Many exterior shots for the show were filmed in the city and fans may recognize some of the shots. 2 talking about this. Watermelons and other various produce such as. (KAIT) -Watermelons are almost ripe for picking for the annual Cave City Watermelon Festival. The first ones out of the field bring families out of the backroads and cities alike to be among the first to experience the fruits of the farmers labors around the first to middle of July. Growers put a registered trademark stick on the watermelons that reads "Genuine Cave City Watermelon". You can buy the melons outside of the city, but supply is limited and there are imposters. There are several outfitters in the area that will provide gear and shuttle service so you can enjoy a fun day in the cool waters of the Spring River. Locals and watermelon farmers all agree the festival has seen a lot of changes over the years. This is unfair to the growers who, like the Johnsons, put hundreds of hours of work into their harvest, not to mention tens of thousands of dollars they have invested in the crops. When you think of farming in Arkansas, you likely imagine vast soybean, [] when said friend has a full slate of activities planned that go beyond the aforementioned fruit. Main Street Mammoth Spring The bustling Main street area is filled with shops and restaurants for whatever you are in the mood for. Today not much remains but visitors will enjoy the two state parks located within the community. CAVE CITY, Ark. Weve all just been working hard since we canceled last year, Johnson said. Weve worked, it seems like, even harder than normal to make sure we have a great festival this year Everythings in place and were ready to have a festival. At 5 p.m., the Prize Melon Auction to benefit Arkansas Children's Hospital will kick off . Live musicians such as Luke Stroud, the Farris Family Quartet, Legacy Five, Shane Thornton, and others will perform Thursday and Friday. Created with Sketch. Published: Jul. They would unload their melons so the brokers could pick them up without having to waste time going into the fields. The Fourth of July Picnic at Cave City was another major attraction, bringing folks from all over the surrounding country. She says the festival will still go on as planned. That leaves us with a whole day to explore, and the roads out of Cave City lead to interesting locations. Its part of The Takeouts 2023 Eats Calendar, a rundown of the years best events. No one picks the watermelons but Gary and Phillip. CAVE CITY, Ark. Many people played a part in creating Arkansas as we know it today. Only genuine Cave City Watermelons have the registered trademark sticker. In 1976, the vine expanded once again to encompass Gary and Phillip as their father guided them in the growing and production process during his illness. They are located 2 1/2 miles north of Cave City. After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. Order with an open mind, and you will enjoy an explosion of flavor like youve never had before. For more information, visitwww.arkansas.com. They carry a little bit of everything from toys to farm supplies, hunting gear and more. Calico Rock Arkansas Main Street Network will be hosting a Fundraiser for The Sean Hunt Memorial on March 11th from 11 am to 4 pm. 1930's. The Watermelon Growers Games begin at 3 p.m. with a free watermelon feast at 4 p.m. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused! KAIT Region 8 News:It doesnt quite feel like summertime in Sharp County until the Cave City watermelons hit the stands and that happened this past week. YP, the YP logo and all other YP marks contained herein are trademarks of YP LLC and/or YP affiliated companies. This three-day event will be held July 28-30th and will include entertainment, fun vendors, yummy food trucks, a parade, activities for kids and adults, and of course, a free melon feast, which is courtesy of the watermelon growers in the area. In August of 1958, Burnis Brown was the manager of the Cave City Watermelon Growers' Association, which consisted of 127 members with 1,000 acres planted in watermelons. YP advertisers receive higher placement in the default ordering of search results and may appear in sponsored listings on the top, side, or bottom of the search results page. Prior to planting, they use a machine to lay down the black plastic and drip tape that will carry water to the plants after they are transplanted. The true melon afficianados will go for the Cave City melons every time and leave the Hope melons to the tourists. The towns population began to be drawn to the larger area of Walnut Ridge and further declined when the highway was built 2 miles outside of town. Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy are headlining the 2023 festival. Up until that point they had only planted seeds directly in the field. Be sure to come pause in Hardy while you travel. Regardless, its high summer, and Im ready for a sweet treat. She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. On her blog, Seek Adventures, Julie shares about the outdoor and travel adventures of her family as they camp and standup paddleboard across the South. As the festival inches closer, melons are flying off of stands just as quickly as growers are putting them there. Thankfully for the organizers of the wildly popular Windy City Smokeout, fans of barbecue and fans of country music are often one in the same. Powhatan Historic State Park Powhatan State Park celebrates the once-thriving community of Powhatan from its heyday as a port on the Black River. But with every good thing comes some form of negative issue. These include learning optimal plant and row spacing and the biggest innovation since the beginning utilizing irrigation techniques. The 42nd annual Cave City Watermelon Festival is slated to begin Thursday (July 28) and run through Saturday (July 30). Activities include a childrens fishing derby, 5K run, car show, pancake breakfast, parade, school alumni reunion, speed eating contest, seed spitting contest, free watermelon feast, prize melon auction, incredible food, kids wet zone, and live music. When a watermelon is cut off the vine, it is as good as it ever will be, it wont keep ripening, Gary explained. "Usually we start setting the first plants somewhere along about the middle of April and that's when we were getting some real cold weather, so we were delayed a little bit in getting the first plants set out," Johnson said. About Arkansas Tourism Johnson said people passing off other watermelons as those from Cave City is not a new problem. 167. Saturday kicks off with the Melon Dash 5K at 7 a.m. at the city park and a Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at First Baptist Church. For decades, Cave City has been known nationwide for its claim to fame, the sweetest watermelons. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year. Perkey Farms is a family owned and operating watermelon farm. The annual watermelon festival, which draws thousands to the town each year, is scheduled for July 26-28. Another interesting mention of the picnic in 1902 related that The rents for swings and lemonade stands will be used toward buying a wind mill to draw the water from the cave. [An article from theRecorddated July of 1928 states that the town had been celebrating the Fourth of July each summer for 35 years, which would have put the tradition starting as far back as 1893.] Cave City melons have "Genuine" stickers, too. Only genuine Cave City Watermelons have the registered trademark sticker. Visitors can also see remnants of the famous swinging bridge which spanned the Black River until it was dismantled in 1957. The Taste of Chicago has a pretty exhaustive Wikipedia page, which is a pretty good indication that the event is practically built into the citys DNA. Be sure to stop by on a Friday and order the catfish. "Business is very . Maybe you can show them how to tie a cherry stem with ones tongue? Johnson says theyve seen more people at their stand and more people in the city in preparation for melon season and the festival. When you direct seed, you very seldom get a perfect stand. Every year, they have to deal with imitation melons. Evening Shade is small but gained some popularity in the 90s when it was the setting for the television show of the same name starring Burt Reynolds. (800) 458-4756 Read more. But one common seed is the craving for the fruit of summer the watermelon. Filed Under . The cave was both a great asset to the community and a source of mystery. They both built homes (on the site of the current location of the Bank of Cave City and on the old bank property just to the north) and moved in by 1890. It has been said that most of the post offices and schools were about five miles distant, as that was about as far as people were willing to walk or ride a horse to get to these establishments! 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