Watermelon Festival - Rush Springs, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 34° 46.975 W 097° 56.998
14S E 596071 N 3849472
Sponsored by the Lions Club, this is one of the largest town festivals in Oklahoma, attracting folks from all over the state, the U.S. and many foreign countries.
Waymark Code: WMPEJC
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2015
Views: 1
The Rush Springs Watermelon Festival is held the second Saturday of August. Jeff Davis Park is crowded with about 30,000 folks, shopping in the many craft booths, riding the carnival rides, and looking over the watermelon judging areas. Approximately 50,000 pounds of watermelon is fed to the participants, and a fun time is had by all.
Located along the old Chisholm Trail, the "Rush Spring" was a common watering hole for the cattle drives which came north from Texas to the Kansas feed lots.
Even though corn and cotton were important in the early days of Rush Springs, that didn't lessen the importance of watermelons as a crop. Rush Springs is called the "Watermelon Capitol of the World". At times, there were lines of trucks a mile long waiting to unload their melons for shipment at the railroad depot. The area has many watermelon farms, so it was just natural that folks would center a festival around their watermelon harvest. The festival started in 1940, and has been celebrated continuously since 1948.
The day starts early with a 5K Run, followed by fun which includes watermelon exhibits, live entertainment, a tiny tots contest, a seed spitting contest, a carnival and arts and crafts fair. Free watermelon is offered after 4PM. The evening ends with the crowning of the Watermelon Queen.
Plan to spend the day here enjoying the entertainment, but also plan to drink lots of cold beverages because Oklahoma in August can be 100 degrees.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
2nd Saturday August
Early till Late
Admission Prices:
Free Admission
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Full day
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle Only
The attraction’s own URL: Not listed
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