Happy National Watermelon Day! To celebrate, we have a great watermelon story! August 3, 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Water Valley Watermelon Festival. To commemorate the occasion, Water Valley’s Chamber of Commerce decided to attempt a watermelon-related world record. We expected a day of fun and small-town charm, but who knew that we’d actually help them break a world record with the world’s largest watermelon eating contest?!
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According to the Water Valley Chamber of Commerce, the very first Watermelon Festival took place on August 27, 1931, during the Great Depression, and consisted of a parade, pageant, naming of a queen, and a ball. But wait, that’s way more that fifty years! As it turns out, the festival continued until the outbreak of World War II and didn’t begin again until 1980.
Today, the festival has added even more events and activities including live music, a fun run, fireworks, antique car show, arts and crafts, and, of course, food. But, what made the 50th anniversary special was the inclusion of a Guinness World Record attempt! Water Valley would attempt to beat the record for world’s largest watermelon eating contest, which was then held by Safety Harbor, Florida (259 participants).
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After a day of wandering through arts and crafts and sampling fair food, we headed over to Crawford Sports Complex to get registered for the watermelon eating event. About the time we arrived, it began to rain; not heavily, but just enough to put a damper on everyone’s spirits. The event was set up outside, so would it be too wet? Would people even show up in the rain?
As it turns out, yes, the locals will show up to support Water Valley in its quest for world record glory. The line of people began to grow. And grow. And snake into the parking lot. Each participant had to sign in on a roster, receive a numbered ticket, and then be put in groups that would later be led to specific tables.
The sheer number of people, as well as the struggle against the rain, pushed the start time back a bit, but it did not dampen anyone’s spirits. Would you stand in the rain for about two and a half hours to eat watermelon?
While standing on the field in our groups, it was impossible to tell just how many people were in attendance. It wasn’t until we started filing into the competition area and filling up tables that I could see we had a definite chance at breaking the former record.
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First, we would compete with our tablemates with those winners then moving on to the final competition. The excitement really began to kick in when we got settled in to our spots, began eyeing the Ziploc of watermelon chunks in front of us, and started getting a rundown of the rules.
To begin, we would have to keep our hands on our heads until the starting signal. Then, eat our one pound of watermelon as fast as possible, leaving none behind. We also had hand signals for being almost finished and then completely finished. Drones flew overhead getting further documentation of the event for Guinness World Records to review.
I don’t remember much of the actual eating. What started out as a fun thing to do changed quickly when the competition began. You see, I’m actually very competitive, so I blocked out all thoughts and just shoved watermelon in my mouth. The adrenaline kicked in… and I finished first at our table. A small victory, but I claim it proudly.
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During the finals, all table winners came together for one final eating competition. Same rules. I did not win. Not by a long shot. I have no idea how Deunte Ragland ate his watermelon so fast; he’s quite clearly superhuman, and the rest of us didn’t stand a chance. Congrats, Deunte, on your big win! Amazing! You may have a career in competitive eating, my friend!
If anyone’s interesting in my strategy, it was basically “Don’t chew; swallow everything in big gulps.” So, there you go. It’s pretty incredible what you can get your body to do when you set your mind on something. I suppose watermelon is a pretty easy food to eat quickly; it goes down the throat easily, is mostly water, not high in calories, and tastes like summer.
Mark and I were both so pumped up and excited after the competition, but we knew it would be a long while before we finally found out the results. It may take up to a year to see if Water Valley would take the title.
This June (2020), we got the official results: Water Valley broke the record with 745 participants. At the 50th annual Water Valley Watermelon Festival, we helped the town make history, and I’m so incredibly proud. I will remember competing in this watermelon eating contest for the rest of my life. How many eating competitions does the average person participate in, really? Or Guinness World Record attempts?
I’m currently waiting on our official Guinness World Records participation certificates to arrive. They’ll be proudly displayed, reminding us of the day a small town rallied together, in the rain, to gulp down fresh watermelon and break a world record. Thank you, Tonya Eubanks and Water Valley for holding this event! Every time I eat watermelon from now ’til forever, Water Valley will be on my mind.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links with no change in price for you.
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Have you attended the Water Valley Watermelon Festival? Have you ever attempted to set or break a world record? What food would you like to eat competitively? Do you like watermelon? We’d love to hear from you, so leave us a message in the comments below!
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