The Winterville Watermelon Festival – Celebrating One of My Favorite Fruits
What’s your favorite fruit?
This is me at the 2019 Watermelon Festival held in Winterville, NC this weekend. As you can see from the super big grin on my face, I was definitely in my happy place. It was actually raining that day but nothing could keep me from my watermelon. Luckily for me, my mom is always down for a fun adventure and this year she was more than happy to go with me.
Serving size: 2 cups diced (10 oz / 280 g) Calories: 80
Total Fat: 0g (0%)
Total Carbohydrate: 21g (7%) Dietary Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugars: 20g
Cholesterol: 0mg (0%) Sodium: 0mg (0%) Potassium: 270mg (8%) Protein: 1g
Vitamin A: (30%) Vitamin C: (25%) Calcium: (2%) Iron: (4%)
Ever since I was a small child I have loved watermelon. My step-grandfather, Sidney, used to grow them on his farm and he always made sure we had plenty. For me, summer means watermelon.
Thankfully, watermelon is super good for you and refreshing! About 90% of a watermelon’s weight is water, which also makes it one of the best fruits to eat if you’re trying to lose weight. Additionally, watermelon is an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene and vitamins A and C but is less acidic than citrus fruits and tomatoes.
One thing about NC is that we love our food festivals and every town has their own. Thankfully, the neighboring town to my hometown (Grifton) has a festival dedicated to delicious and nutritious watermelon!
The legendary Winterville Watermelon Festival is a multi-day event featuring activities the whole family can enjoy. You can hear local and nationally known music acts throughout the event. One of the biggest events of the festival is the Watermelon Parade through town. The watermelon-eating contest is always a favorite. Festival-goers young and old can enjoy carnival rides and midway games all weekend. In addition, visitors can checkout the flea market and commercial vendors setup through the festival grounds. Food vendors serve both watermelon treats and classic fair food such as funnel cakes, turkey legs, and corn dogs. The Winterville Watermelon Festival has so much to offer. You don’t want to miss it! To find out more visit the festival’s site at https://www.watermelonfest.com.
The festival was a lot of fun. We skipped the rides this year due to the rain but we filled our bellies with loads of yummy watermelon and, of course, fried foodie fare. All in all, it was also really cool to spend some time just hanging out with my mom and saying hello to the local WITN News crew, particularly meteorologist Phillip Williams. When I was a kid, I was always fascinated with the weather and he was a superstar to me.
