Dresden Melon Festival kicks off this Saturday

Dresden, OH- The Village of Dresden is well known for the quality watermelons and cantaloupe grown in the area.

The village celebrates this achievement every year with the Dresden Melon Festival which is this Saturday, at Dresden River Park. The park is on the banks of the Muskingum River which plays a role in growing the honorary fruit.

“This is actually a revitalization of melons in our area. So, back in the 60’s and 70’s on both sides of the Muskingum River, the soil was perfect and the best place in Ohio to grow cantaloupe and watermelons. So, that’s really how the Melon Festival started,” said Melissa Stanford, the festival chair.

The festival starts with a small mouth bass tournament at 6 A.M. and features live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and a craft show. Children in attendance will be able to enjoy a petting zoo, bounce houses, and competitions like seed spitting and melon eating.

“It’s a community event just where everybody gets together. Honestly, there’s a lot of big families in Dresden. So, I know I come from a big family, so a lot of my family is down there but there’s a lot of other families, big families that are down there,” Stanford said. “We’re been getting a lot of people from other communities too and I think that’s what’s been big for us is bringing outside members into our community and enjoying it with us.”

To learn more about the Dresden Melon Festival or to plan ahead, you can visit DresdenMelonFestival.com or visit their Facebook page.