Watermelons; deeply-rooted fruits growing connected to other products on vines are a popular summertime snack. These treasures are a staple in the Southern way of living as well as throughout pop culture with social media pages going wild for watermelons. Locally, there is a town that has been going wild for watermelons for 37 years with the fruit becoming a symbol for the small-town gem. Russellville, AL, just 30 miles south of the Tennessee River, is home of the Franklin County Watermelon Festival a two-day extravaganza held the third weekend of August yearly. From its humble beginnings as a gathering of local farmers to sell their harvest, the Watermelon Festival has grown to encompass Downtown Russellville and brings in an average of …show more content…
Cassie Medley the Executive Director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce of which hosts the festival each year, regards the festival as a “beacon of community unification for a common goal.” Known locally as “Christmas in August,” the Watermelon Festival was recently selected as one of Top 20 Festivals in the Southeastern United States by the Southeastern Tourism Society. Each year, the festival has a theme correlating to the Alabama Tourism Department’s theme for the year. This year begins a three-year celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial with this year celebrating the places to visit Alabama has to offer. Franklin County is a leading provider of such places to experience such as King’s Drive-In, one of the only few remaining original Drive-In Theaters, the historic Roxy Theatre, one of the oldest performance venues in the state, and the Red Bay Museum which showcases clothing and possessions of Tammy Wynette who regarded Red Bay, AL as her hometown. The official mascot for the Watermelon Festival is “Mr. Ant” who is depicted yearly on the logo and t-shirts related to the specific theme of the year. What many people who are not local veterans do not know and are amazed upon first experiencing the Watermelon Festival is that admission to the festival is completely free as well as …show more content…
The Watermelon Festival also takes pride in hosting numerous contests for all ages such as seed-spitting, coloring contests, and even a watermelon fashion show where contestants dress up a watermelon in their greatest garb. The special events throughout the weekend are hosted by the Franklin County Watermelon Festival Queen who represents not only the festival itself but is a figure for the entire county throughout her reign. The Queen also has the opportunity to compete in the state Watermelon pageant vying for the title of Miss Alabama Watermelon through the Alabama Watermelon’s Association. In recent years, Franklin County has been rightfully named “The Watermelon Capitol of Alabama” as watermelons are not just a fruit to the citizens of Franklin County but a lifestyle. The Watermelon Festival t-shirt itself becomes a sort of status symbol with citizens vying to be the first to purchase their shirt and wear it around town. The preparation for each year’s festival happens just a few days after the previous year’s festival ends with the meeting of the Watermelon Festival Committee who determine the variety of vendors and entertainment for the celebration. The Committee also seeks sponsorships who held
In Alabama between 1932 and 2003 many things have changed. The book "To Kill A Mockingbird",was set in the 1930's.I can see many changes in the culture and the general way of life.
Agriculture has been practiced in what is now Alabama for centuries. Alabama agriculture has changed considerably since the mid-1860s, when cotton was king and Alabama was known as "The Cotton State." One hundred years ago almost four million acres were planted to cotton, and today only 1.3 million acres are devoted to all agricultural crops” (Mitchell, 2007). Agriculture in Alabama is mainly cotton and peanuts in the past they grew cattle corn and cotton. The Native Americans started Alabama off with slash-and-burn agriculture, in which they cut and burned forests to make room for their fields of corn, beans, and squash.
You can see that, why New Orleans is called Festival capital of USA. Though all the festival are for your enjoyment, but some of them are very popular. They are –
My family and I recently visited the State Fair of Texas. It is the biggest
Focusing on the women and how they have to adapt without the men by their sides and take on the roles of the plantation. There is a Confederate monument in Jackson, Mississippi right in front of the capitol. It is dedicated to all the women who kept the plantations running during the Civil War. Plantations were self-sufficient during this time because the British withdrew their goods and trade agreement. The Confederates lost the war, meaning that a lot of the men did not return home. This meant that the women were stuck with running the plantations. Balancing everything out and keeping things in check is what they had to excel in, just like Ellen did for the Fairchild family. The events in the book take place after World War I, which is when things started changing in the Delta. Everything was changing from their daily activities to their ways of socializing. The Fairchild family also lost men to the war and Uncle George had sustained injuries from
Vietnamese festival for celebrating the lunar New Year. On the first day of the festival,
While the mood continues to be pleasant, the village gathers for what would appear to be a joyous festival everyone looks forward to. “The lottery was conducted –as were the square dances, the teen-age club, the Halloween program… (p.445).”
This voices to the reader how the people in the village are beginning their day, the people from the village are mainly gathering for the year’s Lottery. From the look of things this lottery is not going to take much time to conclude, it began at ten o’clock in the morning, but the reader is informed that it should “through in time for to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner” The lottery is the village’s event which every person is permitted to participate; regardless the age, these are ordinary people who have gathered for an “ordinary” event. The men are talking about farming and taxes whiles the women are exchanging gossip, there’s all kinds of activities going on leading the reader to the anticipation of the Lottery.
MARDI GRAS!!!!! Yes, New Orleans' famous Carnival season is this years' never-ending party and you're invited. Mardi Gras, famous for its colorful and cultural parades, is an experience you can't go any longer w/out! The Streets are packed with both tourists and Native Louisianans as they celebrate Mardi Gras in full color and sound. . The Huge Parades come flashing down the street we fresh music, an explosion of lights, and spectacular floats. Everyone is having a great time, enjoying the festivities of the parade. So you're new to Mardi Gras, but don't want to act like it? Here in brief, are the basic facts about Americas' greatest party.
“When people arrived in the morning on the 17th there was a display of horses, cattle and farm products” (Drury 807). “The first Montgomery County Agricultural Fair was held in Dayton at Swaynie’s Hotel on East First Street October 17th and 18th, 1839” (Drury 807). 1853, the state fair was held on Washington Street, the same year the county fair was held there (Drury 807) then in 1874, “the Southern Ohio Fair Association began having fairs on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds for fifteen years” (Drury 808). This set the stepping stone for many fairs in the years in counting. When individuals see the Montgomery County Fairgrounds today, it is seen as just being a place where random fairs or talent shows are held at. Not knowing its history, one could be right. Much has changed on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds; from its architecture to the people that now visit it.
Walker, Alyce Billings, ed. Alabama, A Guide to the Deep South. The Alabama State Planning Commision , 1941.
The setting takes place in a small town called Messina, Mississippi. Before founding out that it took place in Mississippi, the beginning of the novel had a southern vibe where the folks enjoy red and yellow maple plants grow, but still have dirt roads to park in (...
All the people around me were excited and were in a very festive mood; and they all were perfectly allowed to do so. After all, it was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and my birthday. I had a very pleasant feeling as I strolled through the row of tents at the beach with my friends by my side, as I observed countless people enjoying themselves under the summer sun in the commotion of the small festival. The city was quite festive – decorated by splashes of red, white, and blue everywhere. People occasionally wore a plastic Uncle Sam’s hat, wore patriotic boardshorts, or somehow showed off how American they were proud to be. It was a wonderful feeling and it was by far the best birthday that
" Money, ratings and attention fuel the pageant/dance media machine, with parents and adults reaping the benefits. Purpose of Child Beauty Pageants For these young pageant girls, brains before beauty is not the case. Real-world priorities such as schooling, family, and friends are trumped by tiaras, makeup, and evening gowns. More value is often placed on being beautiful in the eyes of the judges, than on each girl’s individuality.
Every country in the world has its own festival and celebration. People all around the world love joining together and sharing good time through the festivals and celebrations. Festivals are great way to experience local culture. Sometime they even offer a glimpse into past. There are hundreds of festivals across the world. So are you ready to experience of fun and colorful festivals? Below are some of festivals from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.