Hope High School - Bobcat Yearbook (Hope, AR)

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Maids, in pink georgette dresses 1310. 98 each1 ordered es- pecially for the festival, are Lovenia Ruggles 121, Hope, Myrtle Aloyise Wilson 151, Columbus, Kathryn Holt 161, Washington, Lola Mae Bruce 171, Blevins, Orel E. Snell 191, Emmet, Naioma Hopson 1101, Fulton, Vera Walker 1111, Fulton, Bonnie Middlebrooks 1121, Patmos. Unidentified are Evelyn Arnold, Emmet, Wanda Nichols, Hope, Ruby Leslie, Belton, Jo Wolff, Bingen. The parade included 100 floats, some designed es- pecially for the parade, and about 100 decorated cars. lt traveled from downtown Hope to the fair park, and people living along the parade route contributed to funds to have the streets oiled. After the coronation, visitors enjoyed a baseball game between Missouri-Pacific Boosters Club, Little Rock and the Hope Melon Growers Crowds jammed the streets that night for the barn dance on Main Street, between Second and Third. Indeed, one of the most elaborate and gigantic festi- vals in history was this famed festival of 1928. So many people came to eat the 100, 000 pounds of iced water- melons that the tables nearly caved in. Two firemen spent the day filling 50-gallon waterbarrels, which had been placed on the street corners, and ice plant employ- ees kept ice in the barrels for a thirsty, happy 25, 000 people who filled our city to overflowing. Iced melon was served to passengers on two trains that day. Repre- sentatives and photographers from national magazines and the press were here to give the nation the full story. Those who took part in or witnessed the panoramic festivities of that memorable day will not soon forget it. Geraldine Buzby, McCaski1l, was the 1929 festival queen, and Eleanor Foster was one of her maids. Edgar Laseter raised the biggest melon, 152 1X2 pounds. Para- mount made a talkie of the 1930 festival when Sara Louise Gentry, McCaskil1, was crowned queen. George Robison was festival chairman. Several attempts to revive the melon festival have been made, but none have measured up to those first five gala occasions. Mr. O. D. Middlebrooks shows his 1957 second -prize -winning 150-pound melon to Editors Marylin Reece and Sheila Fos- ter.