A citizen of Green River was given this newspaper clipping from a family member from a Philadelphia newspaper. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not was able to be contacted and they found that it was published on December 30, 1990. The caption reads, “In Green River, Utah, there is a 25-ft-long wooden building shaped like a watermelon that is center point to the annual “Watermelon Day” festival.”
Original Newspaper Clipping
Cleaned up version
For years people have debated whether watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable – we consider it both – here’s why . . .
Watermelon is a Fruit
Watermelon is the fruit of a plant originally from a vine of southern Africa. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon (although not in the genus Cucumis), has a smooth exterior rind and a juicy, sweet, usually red interior flesh. The species descriptor Citrullus vulgaris is sometimes, synonymously, used to refer to this plant (vulgaris meaning “common” — Shosteck, 1974).
Like the pepper, tomato, and pumpkin, watermelon is botanically a fruit. According to Webster’s dictionary and Wikipedia, a fruit is the ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents, and a watermelon is a large oblong roundish fruit (2004, 2006). Consumers use watermelon primarily as a fruit because of its sweet flavor and refreshing qualities.
We are excited this year for Melon Days 2010. We appreciate the interest from our vendors. The prices for this year 2010 are $60.00 for a craft space and $95.00 for a food vendor. Spaces are 12×12 and they must furnish everything – we provide space on the grass only.
Applications go out in April and is best to send them back in asap to Teri Parsons PO Box # 474, Green River, UT 84525. Must have a current application and we do not accept a year in advance - in other words no apps accepted until they are sent out in the spring. We are generally filled by late June if not earlier.
Again, thank you for your interest in Melon Days. All spaces are filled.
We are excited to announce Green River’s Melon Days Festival 2010. The 104th year of melons for Green River. Come join us for fun and excitement on September 17-18, Friday and Saturday, as we include melon chucking, seed spitting, melon carving, water(melon) skiing, and more events that I am sure will amaze you and make you laugh. See you there!
