Hot time at Watermalon Festival

I wasn’t here for any of the first 20 Watermelon Festivals, but I’m sure glad I was here for the 21st celebration last weekend.
It was a hot time in the old town in more ways than one. Mostly it was just plain hot – over 100 degrees. I think I consumed more ice cold water and watermelon in one day Saturday than I ever have in a single day before. Nor have I sweat so much since two-a-day practice for high school football.
Despite the sunburn, blistered feet and sheer exhaustion from a 15-hour day, I had a great time, as did my family. I’ve got to hand it to John Stanley and all the crew at the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce for the hard work and dedication that went into pulling off such a top-notch celebration. Kudos all around!
There was much more to do at the festival than one person could take in. I tried to get to as many activities as I could, but I also had a duty to help man our booth. I didn’t spend as much time in the booth as I should have, so I must thank Mayda, Buckie and my daughter Heather for helping out there.
The festival parade marked the Lone Ranger’s debut in Hempstead and second appearance in Waller County. The next time I’ve gotta get a horse to ride and find me a faithful Indian companion. I was impressed, however, with the number of people who recognized the masked man.
Of particular enjoyment to me were the Brazos Bottom Cowographers and the Civil War re-enactors. I love American history, particularly the mid- to late-1800s. The skits performed by the Cowographers were highly entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 11th Texas Cavalry fire off their cannons.
There was an amazing variety of vendors, some offering the usual fare and others of the likes I’ve not seen before. I wish I had more time (and money) to spend with them. The food selection was outstanding. You can’t mention the food, however, without gloating over the selection of barbecue. It may have been the Watermelon Festival, but barbecue made it go ’round!
I must also give a shout out to Boy Scout Troop 108. Even though they had their struggles raising the flag (I can’t criticize them; I’ve done worse), they did serve up lots of cold, sweet watermelon.
I got to catch Chef Vladimir Shmirnov craft his magic by transforming watermelons into works of art. I’m afraid I missed the headline performers at the street dances. I also missed the car show and the quilt show, though I hear they were great.
I’ve been told that attendance was lower than expected, but I suspect a combination of the hot weather and a weak economy were major factors in that. In no way should the chamber look upon the event as anything less than a huge success. The festival is something I definitely want to be a part of next year.
Other than finding a way to cool the temperatures, I would only have a few suggestions for the 22nd Annual Watermelon Festival. My biggest concerns were safety. Having traffic cut through the middle of it on Austin Street was dangerous. At the very least there should have been police escorts to stop the traffic and allow pedestrians to cross.
Also, the placement of the cannons so close to traffic would have me nervous were I the owner of the cannons or a driver coming down the road and facing them.
I think it would have been helpful for there to be an information billboard with a map of the festival so some of the off-site events like the Cowographers and the quilt show could get better attendance.
From our perspective at the Waller County News Citizen, I have a lot of ideas for making our special Watermelon Festival section even better and more useful. The next time we have a booth, I will make sure that our name appears somewhere on it. While we offered a great deal on subscriptions, there was nothing there to let folks know it was us. Everything we had said Houston Community Newspapers on it rather than Waller County News Citizen.
All in all, the compliments far outweigh the complaints from the festival. It’s an event that the community can be proud of and a tradition to build upon.