Ah—summertime heat and summertime memories. If I had to keep track now in my grown-up life my summertime memories would consist of such mundane adult diversions as work and spending way too much time in dark bars. It seems like we created much better memories as kids. During the hot days there was swimming, camp or playing fort. With the approach of the cooler evening there was catching fireflies, enjoying the fresh smell of cut grass and playing tag until it got too dark. And there was always lots of outdoor eating, picnics, barbecues, baseball games hot dogs, sno-cones. And one of the joys of summertime is watermelon.
We celebrate watermelon in Louisiana with not one but three Watermelon Festivals. The festival closest to New Orleans takes place a little more than an hour away on the Northshore in Franklinton July 14th – 16th. Washington Parish is the largest producer of melons in the state and they claim to “have the sweetest, best melons in the Southeast United States.” The Washington Parish Fairgrounds is a perfect setting for an agricultural festival of this type. Covered stable areas layered with straw provide the space needed for a dozen or so local farmers to set up piles of freshly harvested melons.
On Saturday morning the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Farm Bureau (remember Mr. Haney) oversees the melon testing and weighing—gauging size, uniformity, sweetness, color and taste. By 11 a.m., a melon auction takes place where spectators can bid on prize melons with prices ranging from $5 to $400. At any point during the weekend slices of watermelon are sold by the piece, pulled from huge troughs of icy water to be cut up. Enjoy your slice sitting at the picnic tables set up in the shaded corral area, complete with salt on the newspaper-covered tables. Things get under way Friday evening with a watermelon parade at 6 p.m. followed by the Miss Watermelon Pageant an hour later. Friday and Saturday nights the crowds stay at the festival to enjoy the Tri-State Championship Rodeo in the permanent arena. All weekend long there’ll be a midway with about a dozen carnival rides and 40 craft booths with a high selection of watermelon art.
Saturday’s lineup of activities includes afternoon contests for kids such as seed-spitting, watermelon stand-up, watermelon roll, watermelon shot put and watermelon wheelbarrow shuttle. Additional nourishment at the festival includes a half dozen food booths offering typical fair fare, corn dogs, nachos, burgers, hot dogs plus some downhome cooking with fried chicken, barbecue jambalaya, and shrimp poboys. On Sunday the carnival rides, craft booths and watermelon slices are still offered as well as live gospel music in the early afternoon.
Franklinton is located about 45 minutes north of Covington. Heading north on Hwy. 25 will take you directly into town. Upon entering town you’ll cross over a bridge. A quarter mile beyond take a left at the light onto Main Street (which will still be Hwy. 25). Three-quarters of a mile up this road it will dead-end into the festival grounds. There should be plenty of parking on site. Admission: Free, charge for rodeo. Friday 6 p.m. – midnight; Saturday 9 a.m. – midnight and Sunday 1 p.m.- 6 p.m. (504-839-7855)
The two other Watermelon Festivals take place in north Louisiana, both about an hour’s drive from Ruston, in Saline and Farmerville. As you can imagine all of these are rather similar—watermelon parades, contests and craft booths, but hard as it is to believe there may not be any watermelon slices for sale at either of these events.
Ah, vino. I know that I enjoy the occasional glass, okay bottle, of hearty red wine or chilled crisp white wine. I keep meaning to learn more so that I can appreciate more. A rather playful quick way to lead to this greater knowledge can be achieved by attending our very own New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (July 12 – 16). It’s a weekend of wine immersion limited only by the size of your pocketbook.
In its ninth year, this affair has grown in popularity and size reaching an attendance as high as 5,000, with visitors from practically every state in the country and from several foreign countries. As one wine distributor told me, this is a “WINE and food” event rather than a food event with wine. I’m in way over my head here as far as being able to tell you anything about the particular wines being served, but I can tell you what happens and how you can participate, connoisseur or not.
Thursday’s Royal Street Experience is a kick. For the price of a ticket, attendees are given a wine glass and invited to stroll down five French Quarter blocks visiting 30 participating antique and art galleries. Each gallery will have a vintner pouring wines as well as a selection of hors d’oeuvres. The sultry summer evening, great wines and the charm of the Quarter antique shops create a truly memorable way to spend an evening. For the truly indulgent gluttonous wine experience you must attend a Grand Tasting which takes place on Friday and Saturday. Tables, set up throughout a ballroom of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, are manned by close to 200 participating vintners each dispensing a variety of wines resulting in the opportunity to sample more than 700 wines.
Each day 50 different restaurants, including the Pelican Club, Upperline, Alex Patout’s, Antoine’s, Acme Oyster House and Bayona, serve a smorgasbord of sample-size dishes of such delicacies as smoked salmon and choupique caviar canapes, Thai curry crawfish, lobster bisque, duck pate, ceviche with seafood salad and les escargot a la bordelaise. Other activities throughout the weekend include seminars, a champagne Brunch and Vintner Dinners which pairs up local restaurants with particular vintners for an evening of special menus matched with exceptional wines. Except for the Vintner Dinners, which take place primarily at fancy establishments, the dress is casual—or as they say “resort attire.” Royal Street Experience, Thursday 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at $45; Grand Tastings, Friday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at $75 each. (504-529-WINE or www.nowfe.com).
The scene: far away from any town, in the woods, under the trees, a few hundred people sit in their lounge chairs listening to banjo-driven bluegrass music as it washes over the campground. At night it’s especially enjoyable as the heat dissipates and the stars come out. The Riverbend Bluegrass Festival (July 12 – 15) is typical of how we handle bluegrass in Louisiana. Big motor homes carrying mostly retired age people travel from all over the U.S. to set up camp and settle down for a few nights of fiddle and banjo music. Often these events act as reunions of sorts, friends making contact year to year, parking their RVs in small circles, covered-wagon style, creating a little cozy nest.
Of the dozen or so bluegrass festivals that take place throughout the year the Riverbend Bluegrass Festival in Enon is the closest to New Orleans. Although campers arrive early in the week for the pot luck supper and ice cream & watermelon nights, the music doesn’t really get going until Thursday night which is primarily devoted to gospel music.
Friday and Saturday musical groups take to the stage around 1 p.m. Although I’m not familiar with the names, this year’s lineup includes the Bob Lewis Family, Southern Comforts, Fair River Station, Stump Water and Southern Express. The music is fundamental bluegrass—harmonies, upright bass, banjos, harmonicas, fiddle players, with a lot of gospel thrown in. “I love that gravy on the bucket lid, with a big brown biscuit I can sop,” “Honey, let me be your salty dog” and the familiar “let the circle be unbroken” are just a few of the lines you’re likely hear.
A really cool phenomenon I discovered while visiting my first Louisiana bluegrass festival was all the little jam sessions taking place throughout the entire campground. Called parking-lot pickers, these informal groups of musicians gather at campsites, under a string of lights, for impromptu jams that can go until the middle of the night. You can’t get more real than this, people playing for themselves for the pleasure of it, no stage, no money, just the enjoyment of what these chance encounters may produce. Sometimes there are half a dozen jams taking place while the stage music is performing. A small concession stand on site will sell burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks and a plate lunch each day. And something unique to this particular bluegrass festival is the chance to cool off from the hot summer heat with a dip in the Bogue Chitto River which runs along the edge of the campground.
The Riverbend Campground is located on the northshore 2 miles east of Enon. From Covington take Hwy. 437 north to Enon (about 20 miles). At the intersection with Hwy. 16 head east onto Hwy. 16 and the campground will be about 2 miles up, on the right. Admission & starting hours: Thursday 6:30 p.m., $6; Friday 1:30 p.m., $8; Saturday 1 p.m., $9. (504-839-9728).
Julie Posner publishes Huli’s 2000 Calendar of Louisiana Festivals and Events which contains a listing of over 400 festivals. For festival or calendar information call 504-733-5923.
