There are certain treats that are synonymous with the season. A tall glass of lemonade. Backyard barbecues. And, of course, lots and lots of sweet refreshing watermelon. One Texas town takes its love of watermelon to its logical extreme each summer, with a four-day fruit-filled festival that this summer will be in its 56th year.
Located at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and Highway 183, Luling is just less than an hour from both San Antonio and Austin vacations. The town is home to the San Marcos River, which hosts one of Texas’s first inland canoe paddling trails. The soil happens to be ripe with watermelons, and each June brings a bumper crop.
Hence, the Watermelon Thump, which includes everything from a parade and live entertainment to a world-championship seed-spitting contest featuring a brand-new spitway. This contest is taken very seriously. According to the Watermelon Thump website, contestants come from as far away as Japan and Norway to participate. The new spitway is designed to minimize the effects of nature, such as wind and sun, which might impact a spitted seed’s trajectory.
There will also be a melon-eating contest, a rodeo, and a beer garden, plus mimes, fire eaters, and plenty of rides for the kids. There are, of course, awards for the top melons—one of the largestwon the 1962 contest at a whopping 80 pounds, eight ounces. Always held the last Thursday through Saturday in June, the festival began in 1954 to promote the Luling watermelon market and honor its growers. The event draws in around 40,000 visitors to this small town of 5,000.
