MELON MANIA
Bunch comes to her watermelon wonderment honestly. She and her husband, Percy, had a watermelon wholesale business called Murfreesboro Farms Inc., with Percy retiring in the late-90s and Lynette retiring at the end of 2002. Their son, Michael, continues to run the business--proving that watermelon juice does seem to run in Bunch family veins.
Originally published in Our State Magazine
The Bunches were always North Carolina watermelon promoters, with lots of involvement in the National Watermelon Association, National Watermelon Promotion Board, and the North Carolina Watermelon Association. Percy served as president of all three and Lynette--who actually goes by Frances in watermelon circles--was an active “first lady.”
From simple beginnings
Back in 1986, Whitney Cuthbertson, a young woman from Murfreesboro, was selected as the North Carolina Watermelon Queen. Bunch and Charles Freeman, one of Whitney’s teachers, saw this as a great opportunity to create a parade and celebration in her honor. They approached long-time resident Kay Mitchell, then executive director of the Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce, as well as Byron Simonds, an agent with the Hertford County Cooperative Extension.
“That first year, we called it Watermelon Day,” Bunch reminisces. “It lasted four hours, with a short parade, a little princess contest, one band, some seed spitting, and a single food vendor. Everyone went home and didn’t think twice about the fact that there might be a second annual event.”
However, they quickly learned they had much more than a little one-day event on their hands. With local interest high the following year, Mitchell contacted Bunch about repeating “Watermelon Day” and even expanding it.
“What began as a little half-day event for about 400 locals has grown into a four-day extravaganza that will draw more than 40,000 people this year,” Mitchell says. “I’ve been co-chairperson with Lynette since that second year,” continues Mitchell, who is now a Heritage Tourism Development Officer for the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film, and Sport Development.
For a small town of about 2,500, the economic and psychological benefits of the Watermelon Festival have been enormous. “Quite simply, the Watermelon Festival has grown to mean very much to the community,” Mitchell says. “It’s four days long, but its impact is felt every day of the year.”
On the financial front, their goal for each festival is to just raise enough money to fund the event for the following year. There is no admission fee and the only money that people spend at the event is for food, crafts, or amusement rides, if they desire.
Calling for sunshine
Mitchell says they couldn’t do it without lots of local volunteers (which typically number 150 or more). But, they’ve now been doing it for close to two decades, so the co-chair team, the planning committee, and all of the various volunteers have it down to a science. “Many committee members have served for numerous years and are now Watermelon Festival professionals,” Mitchell proudly claims.
What they can’t plan is the weather. Bunch says they’ve only had one real wash-out in the past 18 years, but they always pray for dry and sunny weather.
This year’s version is slated for August 4-7 and the forecast is for a theme of “Sunny Tropical Party.” Festival activities, which have grown immensely over the years, include: an active antiques, collectibles, and crafts far; the “Food Fair,” with a variety of typical fair food (including complimentary slices of North Carolina watermelon at certain times each day); watermelon-oriented games (like seed spitting and watermelon eating); live entertainment and street dances nightly; and North Carolina’s largest agricultural parade (held at 10:00 a.m. on August 7th this year).
The Food Fair takes on the aromas and style of the North Carolina State Fair, with funnel cakes, blooming onions, barbecue sandwiches, and much more taking center stage. Of course, a candy apple, snow cone, hot fudge cake, or apple jack could be just right for dessert.
The food front also includes a nightly plate dinner prepared by local organizations. Wednesday night, there’s barbecue pork and all the trimmings from the Chamber of Commerce. Thursday night, it’s fried fish, thanks to the Murfreesboro Rotary Club. Friday night, tasty fried chicken and barbecue are served up by the Murfreesboro Historical Association and the Jefcoat Museum. This is a great fundraising opportunity for the town’s various civic clubs.
The festival has grown so much in size and stature that they can now draw several popular musical acts. This year, the Coastline Band will play beach music and more on August 4th, with High Roller (rock and roll) on the 5th, Johnny Dollar (country and more) on the 6th, and Pizazz (a popular Raleigh-based band that plays a wide variety of party music) on the 7th.
The annual T-shirt has become a big deal as well, with many attendees wearing the versions from early years (they started selling them at the second festival). Each shirt contains the festival’s mascot, which is an ant named Percy (named after Bunch’s husband).
They actually have another mascot that appears in the parade each year. His name is Walter Melon and he and his costume are sponsored by the North Carolina Watermelon Association.
One big homecoming
The town welcomes back Walter Melon and lots of other repeat festival-goers each year, with Murfreesboro native Susan Davis Bengel providing a perfect example. Bengel was born in Murfreesboro 1961 and lived there until 1991. After five years in Raleigh, Bengel moved to Baltimore. However, she returns to Murfreesboro as often as possible and often times her visits to coincide with the famed festival.
“We plan our summer vacation around the Watermelon Festival,” says Bengel. “This year, my brother in Japan has planned his visit home to the states--his first in three years--the same weekend as the Watermelon Festival.”
Bengel says the festival is simply a big homecoming for her. “It’s an opportunity to see classmates, family, and friends who all come to Murfreesboro the same weekend. Often times, it’s the only time people come back all year long.”
She says she loves how the event incorporates her heritage of where she came from into her son’s life, including the things he doesn’t get much of in Baltimore. “My favorite things are the community coming together and seeing people I only see once a year. My favorite festival activities include the bands, the crafts, amusement rides for the kids, and the foods that the community service clubs put together.”
As a student at Chowan College, Lee Stevens often heard about the festival but never was able to attend because it always took place the weekend before students reported to school. The summer after Stevens graduated in 1996, he decided to return to the Murfreesboro event, and he's only missed two since. He always participates in the seed-spitting contest, which he won in 2000. "It's a great local festival," says Stevens, a LaGrange native. "My favorite thing is that such a small town can put on such a huge event."
"You just can't put it into words," Bengel adds, "you have to experience it, just once."
19th Annual North Carolina Watermelon Festival
August 4-7
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 5pm-11pm, Friday, noon to 11pm and Saturday 9am to 11pm, with a parade at 10am and fireworks at 9:15pm.
For more information, visit www.murfreesboronc.com or call (252) 398-5922