AND NOW LET’S GET TO SOMETHING REALLY FUN HERE. THE 79TH RUSH SPRINGS WATERMELON FESTIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY. THE ANNUAL EVENT CELEBRATES THE RUSH OF SEASONAL WATERMELONS, AND IT IS FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY. JOINING US NOW IS THIS YEAR’S WATERMELON QUEEN, AUDREY HEATH. AUDREY, GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE. YOU LOOK GREAT. LOVE THE WATERMELON DRESS. YOU BROUGHT SOME WATERMELONS FOR US. NOW WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT AND FUN EVENT. HERE. GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE WATERMELON FESTIVAL. YES. SO OUR WATERMELON FESTIVAL HAS BEEN GOING SINCE 1940. IT HAS ONLY STOPPED TWICE FOR WORLD WAR TWO AND ALSO COVID. YEAH, IT IS THE 79TH ANNUAL RUSH SPRINGS WATERMELON FESTIVAL THIS YEAR. IT IS THIS SATURDAY ON AUGUST 10TH. IT IS A FAMILY FULL, FUN DAY. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER. YEAH, SO WE’LL GET TO ALL OF THAT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT FIRST I WANT TO SAY CONGRATS ON BEING THE WATERMELON QUEEN THIS YEAR. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR DUTIES LOOK LIKE? I. SEE YOU’VE BEEN REALLY BUSY. YES, I STAY BUSY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, SO I GOT CROWNED IN MAY. IT’S A LITTLE BIT OF A PROCESS TO BE WATERMELON QUEEN AND TO GET CROWNED. AND WHENEVER YOU DO GET CROWNED, YOU GO THROUGHOUT ALL SUMMER LONG AND YOU GO TO DIFFERENT FESTIVALS. YOU GO TO NEW STATIONS, PODCASTS, RADIO INTERVIEWS. YOU DO QUITE A FEW THINGS. YEAH. SO YOU’RE STAYING BUSY PROMOTING THIS FUN EVENT. WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT? SAY THEY’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE? IT IS WONDERFUL IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE WATERMELON FESTIVAL. IT IS AT RUSH SPRINGS, JEFF DAVIS PARK. WE HAVE 100 ARTS AND CRAFTS VENDORS, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ALL DAY. WE HAVE FOOD VENDORS, A CARNIVAL GOING ON ALL DAY LONG AS WELL AS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY BEFORE WE HAVE A FREE WATERMELON FEED AT 4:00, BUT IT’S ALSO SOLD BY THE SLICE ALL DAY LONG. AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE PRIZE MELON EXHIBIT. NOW THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE WATERMELON FESTIVAL. IF YOU GO IN THAT EXHIBIT, YOU CAN SEE ALL THE PRIZE MELONS, PRETTIER ONES THAN THESE SITTING RIGHT HERE. AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE REALLY BIG MELONS. THEY GET BIG. OKAY. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THESE THAT YOU BROUGHT HERE. BECAUSE ACTUALLY I’VE NEVER SEEN ONE LIKE THIS. I’M USED TO SEEING THE ONES WITH THE STRIPES. UM, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. SO THE THE DIFFERENCE. SO THIS IS CONSIDERED A 720, UM, A LOT OF THEY CAN BE DIFFERENT. THERE’S DIFFERENT VARIETIES, DIFFERENT BREEDS OF WATERMELONS. AND SO THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IS CONSIDERED A BLACK DIAMOND HYBRID. SO RUSH SPRINGS IS KIND OF BEEN KNOWN FOR OUR BLACK DIAMONDS. UM, SO THESE ARE SEEDLESS AND THEY TAKE LONGER TO GERMINATE. THEY TAKE LONGER TO RIPEN THAN YOUR SEEDED WATERMELON. OKAY. YOU REALLY ARE A WATERMELON EXPERT. OKAY. SO RUSH SPRINGS, WE KNOW, FAMOUS FOR THEIR WATERMELONS, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MAKES THIS FESTIVAL JUST SO UNIQUE? I THINK WHAT’S SO UNIQUE ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL? FIRST OFF, IT STARTED AS A CELEBRATION OF HARVEST OF OF THE END OF HARVEST FOR OUR FARMERS. IT’S JUST A TOWN THING. AND THEN WE JUST STARTED INVITING PEOPLE AND IT GREW BIGGER AND BIGGER THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. AND THEN NOW WE WELCOME 30,000 PEOPLE INTO OUR PARK. IT IS A WONDERFUL EVENT. UM, OUR TOWN SURROUNDS IT. OUR HEART OF OUR TOWN IS WATERMELON, AND THIS IS JUST WHERE OUR COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AND JUST SEES ALL THE SMILING FACES IN RUSH SPRINGS. YEAH. AND HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY ITSELF? IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. A LOT OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL, UM, LIKE TEAMS OR JUST CLUBS THAT THEY’RE IN, THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY OFF THE WATERMELON FESTIVAL FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. SO A LOT OF OUR FOOD BOOTHS ARE OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. OKAY. SO ECONOMIC IMPACT, DELICIOUS WATERMELON, AN EVENT FULL OF TRADITIONS. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE TRADITION? ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRADITIONS I’M GOING TO SAY IS THE SEED SPITTING CONTEST. WE STARTED THAT IN. OH OH MY GOODNESS. IT IS SO FUN TO GET TO JUST WATCH THEM GET UP THERE AND JUST SPIT A SEED. IT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. EVERY SINGLE WHO CAN SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, THE FARTHEST. AND SO YOU GET UP THERE, YOU PUT THE SEED IN YOUR MOUTH AND YOU JUST SPIT IT OUT THERE, OKAY? AND THEN THEY SEE WHOEVER SPITS IT THE FARTHEST WINS. OKAY, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF FUN. IT’S A LOT OF FUN. RUN US THROUGH AGAIN ALL THE DETAILS. WHEN? WHERE TIME DO WE NEED TICKETS FOR THE FESTIVAL? HOW DOES IT ALL WORK? SO OUR FESTIVAL, IT’S FREE ADMISSION AND PARKING AND IT IS ON AUGUST 10TH. SO IT’S THIS SATURDAY AND THEN, I MEAN, WE HAVE 100 ARTS AND CRAFTS VENDORS. IT’S WONDERFUL FOR YOUR KIDS. THERE’S FOOD, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, THERE’S A CARNIVAL ALL DAY LONG. WE JUST HAVE SO MUCH TO OFFER. YEAH, AND WHO DOESN’T LOVE WATERMELON ON A HOT SUMMER DAY? AND THIS WEEKEND IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE REALLY NICE. NOT TOO HOT. SO GET OUT THERE, AUDREY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. YOU’VE BEEN SUCH A JOY. CONGRATS ON BEING WATERMELON QUEEN.