Traditon continues in downtown Howell this weekend with the annual Melon Festival.
The event, called more family friendly this year, will feature Howell melons, melon ice cream, a watermelon eating contest, a sand melon ball (volleyball) tournament, and the popular 5K and 10K melon run. An outdoor movie on Saturday will feature “The Goonies” and there will be two kid stations, the melon patch for children aged 3 – 11 and the melon grove for those 12 – 17.
A variety of local food vendors will be on site for great eats and the Howell Main Street Winery will host a melon wine tasting for adults to enjoy.
The festival’s roots were planted around 1960 by Dr. Louis “Pat” May and other business owners who decided to organize a festival in honor the Howell Honey Sweet melons, which were initially grown in 1925 from seeds an Ohio melon farmer gave to August P. Schmitt, a greenhouse owner in Howell. Schmitt and other local farmers used those seeds to grow the sweet melons, which were sold locally and in Lansing until about 1960 when May and the others decided to organize a festival which became known nationwide thanks to the efforts of May and the Howell Jaycees.
The annual gathering has something for everyone and is an event not to be missed.
For more information and a schedule of events visit www.howellmelonfestival.com.
Stacy Swann is a mom of two, wife of one and a freelance writer and blogger living in Brighton. She worked in the world of Detroit advertising for over 12 years before starting her own Rights Clearance business. You can contact Stacy at swanngirlz(at)gmail(dot)com.
