Before implementing irrigation, Phillip explained, We spent lots of quality time with that garden hoe. He admitted he was very picky about how it was done. The Cave City Watermelon Festival will take place July 26-28 at the Cave City city park. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. 4,446 were here. Julie is one of the only growers who began utilizing social media to promote their products and she feels the videos she posts have helped more than anything. Ellis and Ernest Landers had the largest acreage planted in watermelons --- 45 acres. In 2017, the Cave City Watermelon Festival was inducted into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame by the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Many of these families moved to that area from Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, etc., and settled along the creeks and waterways in the more temperate climates away from the mosquitoes and malaria of Eastern Arkansas. While watermelons are still at the center of our celebration, we also celebrate the people and businesses that make the Cave City area one of the greatest places in Arkansas! These include learning optimal plant and row spacing and the biggest innovation since the beginning utilizing irrigation techniques. Usually the Cave City Watermelon Festival is held the week after the Hope Watermelon Festival, but this year they were held concurrently. Most actually want to know how to select the best and sweetest melon. Flickr/kitchener.lord. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. The Cave City Watermelon Grower stickers with the growers name assure customers they are getting genuine Cave City melons. The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. Outfitters include Spring River Oaks, Many Islands Camp and Canoe, and Southfork Resort. Over the years, various attempts have been made to explore the cave and to determine the origins of the Crystal River which flows under the town of Cave City. 2023 Ozark Gateway. The cave at Cave City served as a source of pride for the community for many years, and the Cave Courts housed many tourists who traveled through that area of Northeast Arkansas. Required fields are marked *. Tohi Nature Trail This easy trail is a popular walking and birdwatching trail located just past the WRMC Medical Complex. This is unfair to the growers who, like the Johnsons, put hundreds of hours of work into their harvest, not to mention tens of thousands of dollars they have invested in the crops. Our watermelon growers work hard all year long to produce "The World's Sweetest" watermelons! Watermelon is synonymous with Cave City, and while folks in my neck of the woods go bonkers when a pickup truck with a bed-full of [], Your email address will not be published. They offer indoor and outdoor dining and a menu that includes a little bit of everything. To contact our registered growers, check:. Pioneer Lane Greenhouse Fill up your garden with beautiful plants and trees from the Pioneer Lane Greenhouse. Phillip said the most labor intensive and important part of the production comes while preparing the soil. In August of 1958, Burnis Brown was the manager of the Cave City Watermelon Growers' Association, which consisted of 127 members with 1,000 acres planted in watermelons. Black Rock Museum Although the museum has no set hours, contact the city to schedule a visit and learn about the history of this small town that sits in the gateway to the Ozarks. Garrett Duncan walking a growers' Cave City Watermelon . All Rights Reserved. Thankfully for the organizers of the wildly popular Windy City Smokeout, fans of barbecue and fans of country music are often one in the same. Many of the early pioneer family names echo through the area today: Jackson, Horn, Barnett, Brewer, Laman, Gray, Meacham, Wooldridge, Shanks, Rawlings, Green, Witten, Landers, Rodgers, Ball, Crow, Wilson, Fore, Lewis, Aldridge, Montgomery, Johnson, Gilbert, Vance, Vaughn, Stewart, Story, Stout, Matlock, Baxter, Bain, Jones, Chaudoin, Martin, Felts, Burge, Albright and Ford. Johnson Brothers was established in 1976. I have people from Dallas and Chicago drive all the way to Cave City, Arkansas just to come to our place get melons. The best way to see the river is through one of the local outfitters such as 3 Rivers Outfitters or Spring River Camp and Canoe. This year County Music Legend Tracy Byrd will be headlining the Free festival on Saturday Night. CAVE CITY, Ark. 167 North of Cave City. The Taste of Chicago has a pretty exhaustive Wikipedia page, which is a pretty good indication that the event is practically built into the citys DNA. Cave City's registered growers plan to keep the town's tradition alive, and start preparing for the 41st Watermelon festival. Locals and watermelon farmers all agree the festival has seen a lot of changes over the years. The fact is, growers begin working to bring the melons to the area months before with preparations long before the plants even go into the green-houses and eventually into the earth where they will grow. The festival is Aug. 6-8, and Crystal said it is the biggest event in Sharp County. Johnson Brothers Watermelons is a family operated business consisting of Gary & Becky & Phillip & Julie. Jonesboro! Many out-lying families moved into town soon after the creation of the new school to better educate their children. Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs current publicity chair. Last night, I had a Facebook message from a guy driving four hours to get watermelons. For Craft & Commercial Vendor Inquiries email Hana @ For Volunteer Opportunities call Robin @ 870-283-1195 The proverbial watermelon vine was planted when the mens grandfather, Washington Worsh Johnson, first grew melons and cotton on 135 acres at Cave City. Johnson Brothers Watermelons is a family operated business consisting of Gary & Becky & Phillip &. To return to the calendar and check out other months, click here. locate Besides producing quality melons, Julie said the trademark sticker for registered users that brands the melons has helped bring customers to their stand. Evening Shade is small but gained some popularity in the 90s when it was the setting for the television show of the same name starring Burt Reynolds. That leaves us with a whole day to explore, and the roads out of Cave City lead to interesting locations. It is located two and a half miles North of Cave City on Hwy. In the early 1930, Hubert Carpenter purchased the cave properties. Today, people from around the world come to this small place each summer to help us do just that! Perkey Farms is a family owned and operating watermelon farm. Watermelons can be bought from these certified growers: Patterson Bros Watermelons Brian Carter's Cave City Watermelons Tim Carter Melon Farms Johnson Brothers Watermelons Miller. Weve worked, it seems like, even harder than normal to make sure we have a great festival this year Everythings in place and were ready to have a festival. Around 1980, a group of city leaders actually trademarked the name "Cave City Watermelons" so that anyone who uses that registered trademark to make money off of a different product is actually breaking the law. Mr. Carpenter retrieved many of the Indian relics from the cave and built a museum of sorts which housed these relics on the walkway into the entrance of the cave. It is about an event, about happiness. Haley Adams enjoys a big slice of watermelon at the 2007 Cave City Watermelon Festival. Prior to planting, they use a machine to lay down the black plastic and drip tape that will carry water to the plants after they are transplanted. Now, in its 40th year, the watermelon festival is the largest festival in the region and has been voted as one of Arkansas' best festivals. This year, it will kick off Thursday, July 25and run through Saturday, July 27 at the Cave City City Park. All rights reserved. Annual student art exhibition is Feb. 27-March 17 at Lyon College Kresge Gallery, reception is March 2, Works of Lyon College Professor of Art Dustyn Bork featured in two Batesville exhibitions, Jacksonport State Park to host dinner, mock trial based on historic events Trial based on actual 1885 events and trial, Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble: A Soapmaking Workshop Saturday, February 25, 2023, 9:00am . On August 12th, 1925, Hugh and Edgar Laseter established a new standard for giant melons with their 136-lb winning watermelon. Welcome home! Cin-sations Flea Market This hidden treasure isnt found on social media, but you will find loads of treasures inside this quaint antique/junk shop! From July 27-29 i n Cave City, Arkansas, you'll find a feast of watermelon courtesy of local growers; the website also notes that "Catfish dinners, pancake breakfasts, talent shows, watermelon judging contests, 5K runs, ice cream making contests, car shows and local entertainment have filled the event calendar" in previous years. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late 60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit. watermelon-growers games at 3 p.m., a . With a wagon and team, Worsh hauled his melons out of the field and placed them in Big Creek near present day North Ridge Road to cool. Tracy Byrd Here is the complete schedule, Check Cave City Watermelon Festival website for updates before travel Thursday - July 29 5:00 PM Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. Cave City watermelon growers warn against knockoffs Cave City, Arkansas KAIT Region 8 News: It doesn't quite feel like summertime in Sharp County until the Cave City watermelons hit the stands and that happened this past week. There is also a thriving art and music scene. Regardless, its high summer, and Im ready for a sweet treat. Up until that point they had only planted seeds directly in the field. Julie said she credits their customers with being the main reason their business has remained successful. Mammoth Spring State Park The park is home to an old mill and hydroelectric plant, the old Frisco Train Depot and Museum, a park, walking trails and a gift shop. So I prefer to go right to the source. It is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6, through Saturday, Aug. 8. She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. Source:http://www.kait8.com/story/38582549/cave-city-watermelon-growers-warn-against-knockoffs, Cave City watermelon growers warn against knockoffs, Students map out early Arkansas explorer's path, Procedures for Commercial/Industrial Construction. At the time, Phillip was 13. . The annual watermelon festival, which draws thousands to the town each year, is scheduled for July 26-28. Only genuine Cave City Watermelons have our registered trademark sticker. Perhaps it runs deepest in the Carter family with roots that go back four to five generations for two growers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Only in Arkansas. D & S Rodeo If you love rodeo and music, you will want to head to the D & S Arena. Watermelon Festival The 2022 Cave City Watermelon Festival is sure to delight. 2, 2019 at 5:14 PM PDT. . Phillip laughed recalling a story his mother told, They got married on March 30 and were in the watermelon fields on April 1. Their parents harvested melons until 1976 when Lester became ill. At the peak of watermelon production during the 1960s, the growers association that was established in 1938 had 127 members with over 1000 acres of melons planted. Johnson said people passing off other watermelons as those from Cave City is not a new problem. 5:00pm: Main stage Prize Melon Auction benefitting Arkansas Children's Hospital Cave City seems in the middle of nowhere. You can also learn more about her writing on her site Seek Adventures Media. Historical Marker An historical marker documenting the Civil War in Sharp County and the Sharp Family in the Civil War can be seen at the corner of West Main and Court Streets. Only genuine Cave City Watermelons have the registered trademark sticker. The festival is the largest in the region. 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