It’s summer time, and there’s loads of things that you need to know about the whackiest festivals around the world! The Sherp is here to give you your dose of whacky for the week, coming all the way fromΒ Luling, Texas’ Watermelon Thump!Β
(Image Courtesy: Watermelon Thump Facebook)
The Thump is a celebration, as well as a gathering to give thanks, and to make sure that all that is due is given to the watermelon growers of the Luling Watermelon Market – ever since 1954, the city of Luling has seen all of its folk gather round, and celebrate, with their very own watermelons, for four whole days on the last full weekend of June – vis. this weekend!
There’s competitions, there’s musicians, a rodeo, a pageant, and oddly enough – a golf tournament! Some of which might intrigue you, and some of which might just make you go WHAAAAAAAA! Here’s how whacked out The Thump is:
1. The world champion seed spitting competition (with THREE categories)
Β You read that right. A seed spitting competition, though that might sound a little unpleasant, albeit it’s supposed to be quite the thing in Luling, with everyone racing to get those seeds out, and be dubbed the world champion! For each category at the Thump, there’s been world record setters (from 1989) with seed spitting distance being recorded at a whopping 68 Feet + 9 and 1/8 inches, who somehow still have not been beaten (wonder why).
2. Melon judging (literally)
(Image Courtesy: WhatAboutWatermelon)
There’s big melons, small melons, mid-sized melons, all kinds of melons that enter this competition, with their one criterion being, the biggest and the best black diamond melon grown under the Grower’s Association’s rules, the champion melon is then auctioned off, and sold to the highest bidder!
We’ll double that, thanks.Β
3. RodeosΒ
(Image Courtesy: Flickr)
When in Texas, attend a rodeo – and when at the Watermelon Thump, attend the Thump Rodeo – sure to be a promising event – the rodeo is host to some of Texas’ finest, and some of Luling’s most amazing!
4. The car showΒ
(Image Courtesy: Watermelon Thump Youtube)
No festival is ever interesting without some serious showmanship in the automobile department, and the Thump, is your chance to witness some pre-42 restored beauties, a few original ’55 chevys, and a loads of customs right from ’49 till 2015! Car shows are pretty, but when car shows are enjoyed with a watermelon drink in the heat of the summer, the experience just get’s a whole lot better!
5. The melon carving championshipΒ
(Image Courtesy: Jodi Jay WhitneyΒ //Β Watermelon Thump Facebook)
They’re red, juicy, and easy to carve, which is why, at the Watermelon Thump – each year, the carving competition witnesses art in it’s most scrumptious form! Though the idea of carving a watermelon isn’t the newest, this competition is one that let’s every festival attendee see some marvellous skills being exhibited, and some carved summer beaut’s that are nothing but delightful.
6. A main stage with some fun-as-hell bands!Β
While watermelons are the focus of the thump, what makes it even special – is the constant entertainment brought to the people through the main stage, with artists like The Spazmatics, The Texas Unlimited Band, and Chris Miller & The Bayou Roots all set to thump your time at the festival, there’s nothing that will disappoint!
7. The melon eating compeition
(Image Courtesy: The Daily Texan Online)
Food is essential to our being, and over at the Watermelon Thump, watermelons are the best kind of food around (apart from the amazing food carts and stalls at the venue). The idea of the melon eating competition is to test the speed at which a person can consume one HUGE slice of a watermelon – and every year, at the competition, hundreds of people line up in rows to become the watermelon eating champion!
8. The coronation of the Thump Queen!
(Image Courtesy: Statesman)
The Thump Queen is one of Luling’s most prestigious titles, and each year, a new Queen is brought in – through rigorous voting procedure which is enabled by the aspirant Queen’s door-to-door visits, parades and other activities that might win her the title! On the first day of every Thump, the Queen is crowned, and she reigns for the entire year, representing the great state of Texas, at various venues, until her successor comes in the following year.
9. A beer garden
Respite, is necessary from all the sweet-goodness of watermelons – which is why, at the Watermelon Thump, there’s a beer garden, for all attendees to sit in and enjoy, to relish the taste of a cold beer under the hot sun, and to experience a nice getaway from the hustle of the thump.
10. An abundance of melons…
(Image Courtesy:Watermelon Thump Facebook)
One last thing, that might just not have registered, at the Watermelon Thump, there’s loads of watermelons, and there’s a lot of things that everyone at the festival does with the said watermelons, including having a parade, selling some of them, making delicious drinks, creating some interesting dishes and with those that really take pride on their melons, they just exhibit them.
Come back next week for some more whacky, only from The Sherp!