The Monticello Watermelon Festival kicks off this Friday evening, June 7 and continues through June 15th. The event, marking its 73rd year, has some new reasons to celebrate this year.
Kate Truelove is in charge of the festival. She said the big news is, for the first time in many years, some Jefferson County farms are once again growing watermelons as a commercial crop. Truelove says festival goers can sample those homegrown 'melons.
"What we're calling the 'Watermelon Oasis' where we'll have fans and tables set up, so folks can sit and eat their food and take a break from the heat."
And all the traditional favorite events, like this Friday's kickoff dinner, followed by a bed race through the downtown, will continue.
"Each bed will have a rider and 2 pushers. They race down the street and back up and the whole town comes out to watch."
The festival recalls the time when Jefferson County was one of the premier watermelon producers in the southeast.
