Ooltewah Farmers Market will hold the fourth annual Melon Fest on Thursday, Aug. 14, from 3-6 p.m.
The market, now in its sixth season, hosts this annual event celebrating locally-grown melons and watermelons of all shapes and kinds. Several area small family farms have been growing melons specifically for this event. Look for old heirloom varieties, rare and exotic melons, and traditional Southern favorites. For example, Fred Nelson of The Healthy Kitchen Farm in Dunlap, will have Chamoe, a small bright yellow Korean melon with a white flesh and unusual flavor. Farmer Fred was served this melon while visiting Korea and he brought the seeds home with him to grow.
Other vendors will also have melon items such as Melon Cupcakes by The Cupcake Club (created using Cantaloupe and Yellow Watermelon they grew, topped with a Cantaloupe whipped Frosting), Watermelon iced tea from Amaizeing Eats food truck, handmade watermelon soaps from Dixie Soaps Farm, etc. A seed spitting contest will begin at 3:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. the market will teach “The Watermelon Crawl” line dance, and there will be melon-themed music throughout the entire event. Free watermelon samples will be available for all. A fun photo area offers the opportunity to photograph your face through a wooden cutout watermelon hand-painted by local artist, Sophie Perry. There is no charge to attend this event, which is outdoors rain or shine.
Ooltewah Nursery & Landscape Co., Inc., is at 5829 Main Street, Ooltewah, Tn. 37363.
Ooltewah Farmers market is operated as a service to the community by Ooltewah Nursery and Landscape Co. OFM does not close seasonally, but is open all year round and features local farms and food artisans exclusively. For more information, visit Facebook or the website of Ooltewah Nursery.