RUSH SPRINGS, a town of about 1,000 friendly folks these days (have been as many as 1500 townsfolks during some decades) in Grady County, across the Red River and in the red dirt section of Oklahoma along U. S. Route 81, is the selfproclaimed WATERMELON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. For those of you who know Oklahoma, you are between Chickasha and Duncan if you are in Rush Springs.
The population swells to about 30,000 “water-melon lovers” who eat about 50,000 pounds of the delicious, sweet fruit during the annual WATERMELON FEST.
Back a few years ago when I was a mere tyke, “81” was “the road to take” through Oklahoma when you wanted to go to or through Oklahoma City and on to Okarche, Kingfisher, and Dover to visit relatives.
On the return trip to Forney, Mom would always remind Pop to stop at Rush Springs to pick up a watermelon or three to take back to Forney to share with neighbors in town or with fellow church members in Dallas at “family nights.” As a side note, we would nearly always also stop at the fruit/produce stand at the Wagonseller Exit near Bowie, Texas, to load up on produce (We called it “Wagonseller’s.”) to also take back to Forney.
Back to the real topic….. Saturday, August 12—Jeff Davis Park—East on Main Street—Annual event that began in 1948 and celebrates the “rush of local seasonal watermelons, with watermelon- themed activities, carnival rides, and family entertainment.” Especially note the seed-spitting contest, arts and crafts fair with more than 100 vendors, live entertainment, stage shows, food vendors, and a classic automobile show! I have heard that there have also been rodeos in past years.
I cannot verify it from experience, but people who have participated in the “fest” have told me that on “the day,” all the watermelon you can eat is free—but you must put (spit) all your seeds into collections containers so that farmers will have seeds to re-plant the next year.
One final memory from the first days of my marriage to Vivian and the beginnings of our Themer Family, we would always drive home from the Schroeder Reunion on U. S. 81 and slow down as we approached Rush Springs (before there was a business by-pass) so that we could park along a well-worn section of dirt just off the shoulder of the highway and begin our “walk up the hill.”
About five large wagons, all full of watermelons, were each a little higher up the hill. The smallest and least expensive melons were at the bottom of the hill, and the largest and “costlier” melons were at the top. We learned after our first stop to buy several smaller melons, because they easily fit onto a shelf in a standard refrigerator to be cooled—and they made good gifts for friends/ family back in good ol’ Forney! And, we never got a bad one!
On our way back from the Schroeder Reunion this year, we bought a 40 pounds, red meat, watermelon, and a LARGE musk melon (cantaloupe) from a stand in town out in front of a “senior citizen lady” in a lawn chair with what appeared to be grandchildren playing around the awning. As we were “thumping” melons,” two men walked up from a couple blocks down the side road and said without asking the price, “Give us one of each, red meat and yellow.” They paid and walked away with each carrying a watermelon, like a big baby, in his arms and with expectant smiles upon their faces!
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