Chamber begins Watermelon Festival T-shirt sales
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cassie Medley shows off this year’s Watermelon Festival T-shirt, available now for purchase by the community.
by Alison James for the FCT
The annual Watermelon Festival, set for Aug. 14-15, is still a couple of months away, but there’s one sign it’s drawing nearer: T-shirts are available for purchase.
This year’s Watermelon Festival T-shirts come red, lime, turquoise, yellow, charcoal and purple. Youth and adult sizes small through extra large are $12; adult sizes 2X and 3X are $15; and long-sleeved shirts are available in charcoal, adult sizes small through 2X, $18.
Each year’s T-shirt design is based on the statewide tourism theme. This year’s theme is The Year of Alabama Barbecue.
“I give (the T-shirt art designer) some ideas of what I have in mind,” said chamber of commerce executive director Cassie Medley. “One of the things I said was a picnic table … of course you’ve got to have some kind of smoke … and I said, ‘Mr. Ant should have on an apron, and it should say “low and slow” on there.’”
Then designer runs with the ideas and presents a sketch to the board to tweak or approve.
“That’s like Christmas to me – seeing what he comes up with,” Medley said.
The year, 2015, is hidden in the picture. People who study the shirt will be able to discover it. “It takes you a while,” Medley said. “But after you find it, it sticks out in front of you.”
Medley said although shirts will be on sale through the festival weekend, if people really want a certain color, they should go ahead and purchase them to be sure the chamber doesn’t sell out of their preferred color and size. Medley said anyone purchasing bulk orders of 10 or more can email or fax their orders in advance to assist the chamber in having their order ready.
In addition to festive T-shirts, the Watermelon Festival will include all of the activities and events people have come to expect: car show, tractor show, vendors, pageant to determine the Watermelon Queen and, of course, the watermelon contests, like best tasting and best dressed.
The festival will also include a new watermelon competition this year: largest watermelon grown in Franklin County. “So all those people that grow watermelons in the county need to be getting to work on that,” Medley “Ambulance Billing Service is donating that prize money.” First, second and third place – $300, $200 and $100, respectively – will be awarded.
Free slices of watermelon will be handed out as always, this year in the First Baptist Church park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 15.
In addition to plenty of good food, another attraction of the Watermelon festival is the full slate of entertainment. This year’s acts on the mainstage will include:
Friday
5:45 p.m. – Opening Ceremony with the National Anthem performed by Jessica McSpadden
6 p.m. – Kerry Gilbert Band
7 p.m. – Dixie Mafia
8 p.m. – Rewind
9 p.m. – Rush of Fools
Artists will play 45 minute sets, with 15 minutes between acts.
Saturday
1 p.m. – First Born Sons
4 p.m. – Jarred Pierce
5 p.m. – Briana Lawler Dean
6 p.m. – Joseph Baldwin Band
7 p.m. – The Springs
8:30 p.m. – Jamie O’Neal
Additional entertainment will also be offered at the Roxy, featuring young talent. Another draw this year will be provided by the International Harvesters, which is having its state meeting during the festival. “So we’re expecting at least 100-150 tractors,” Medley said.
Another new activity this year will be a barbecue cook-off, held at the Todd Center, hosted by Pilgrim’s.
More details are still to come on all these activities of this year’s Watermelon Festival.
