Seed spitting and watermelon eating contest among planned events

The dog days of summer are bringing a welcome reprieve this weekend with the return of the 14th annual Beauregard Parish Watermelon Festival in DeRidder.

Held each year by the tourism commission, the festival pays tribute to the local crop heralded throughout the state as the sweetest of its kind, while also bringing carnival rides, music, food and homemade crafts together for a full weekend of celebration.

“The festival offers a little bit of everything for everyone,” tourism commission director Lori Darbonne stated. “There’s fun and food, with music all night long and some really interesting vendors showcasing their handmade works. We will have lots of interactive events for families to participate in, and of course everything will revolve around the watermelon.”

Gates will open Friday at the Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds at 506 West Drive at 4 p.m. and the festival will begin with its ceremonious cutting of the watermelon and a local celebrity seed spitting contest. Indoor activities will include the return of the fan favorite Yuck Game Show and the Bling it On T-shirt contest. A new event will be added to Friday’s line up this year and will have participants compete against each other in the festival’s first Frozen T-shirt contest. Concerts at the outdoor stage will begin at 5:30 with the Louisiana Gold Band.

Saturday’s events will begin at 7 a.m. with the annual Watermelon 5K Run to benefit the local women’s job corps and gates to the festival open at 10 a.m. This year will add a new Corn Hole Tournament competition to lead off an afternoon filled with watermelon-centered events, including a seed spitting contest at 2 p.m. and the always popular watermelon eating contest at 3 p.m.

At the center of the day, watermelon growers will be put in the spotlight at 3:30 with a special contest to find the largest watermelon grown this season, and will award the winner $200. A watermelon auction will follow at 4 p.m.

Throughout the day, music will be provided at both the indoor and outdoor concert stages and will feature performances from returning favorites Ron Yule and the Medicaid Band, Graybow Riot, and LeRoy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners.

Admission is $5 per person and is free for children ages 3 and under.