Of course, first I have to find a table to step up to. Much like my attempt to enter a seed-spitting contest a few years ago, there aren’t many watermelon-eating contests here in Pennsylvania. That means – again, just like the seed-spitting contest – that I might have to plan and create my own eating contest in order to achieve my 2014 goal.
I started my search over on EatFeats, which has the most comprehensive database of eating contests on the Internet. It lists nearly 100 watermelon-eating contests from around the nation in just the past two years, almost all of which took place in June, July, or August. A quick scan of the list even revealed a few right here in Pennsylvania, which gives me hope that they might plan a repeat performance in 2014. Among the contenders:
1. The Lewisburg Community Garden Harvest Festival (September 28) – The 2013 festival featured games, music, local farmers, food trucks, and a watermelon-eating contest.
2. The Kipona Festival (September) – Kipona is an art festival held each year right here in my town of Harrisburg. It’s a lot of fun, and they hosted a watermelon eating contest in 2012, but not 2013. The only question is, can I convince them to bring it back in 2014?
3. The Bel Air 4th of July Festival (July) – Bel Air is actually in Maryland, but it’s only 90 minutes from where I live, so this one has potential. They held a watermelon-eating contest last year and, wouldn’t you know it, they’re having one again in 2014. I think this might be the one for me, folks!
So there you have it. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it looks like my competitive watermelon-eating debut will be in Bel Air, Maryland on July 4. That gives me a little over four months to test my skills and practice my watermelon-eating technique. Stay tuned for updates about that!