By BECKY CRISSMAN

becky.crissman@cordeledispatch.com

CORDELE — June has been a busy month here in the Watermelon Capital of the World as the city celebrates the 67th Annual Watermelon Days Festival. This year’s event will officially end with the Fourth of July Fireworks on the Flint, but will climax Saturday with the annual parade, and festival.

Lineup for the parade will begin at 8 a.m. at the Southgate Shopping Center, at the corner of 6th Street and 15th Avenue. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. and will travel north on 7th Street to 2nd Avenue and then head east on 2nd Avenue ending at Crisp Regional Hospital Park where the day’s festivities will be taking place.

At the festival site there will be lots to see and experience as the day goes on. There will be lots of vendors on site selling a variety of foods, treats, arts and crafts and a myriad of other wares.

Kids can compete head to head to see who can consume the most juicy sweet Cordele watermelon during the Watermelon Eating Contest which will be held at 11:15 a.m. and sponsored by the Cordele Lions Club.

Are you a strong man…… or woman???? Test your strength in the Watermelon Chunking Contest sponsored by Advanced Disposal at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. the Georgia Watermelon Association will sponsor the Adult Seed Spitting competition which is certainly a favored festival event each year. There will also be a variety of entertainment on the stage throughout the day sponsored by Empire Dance and Performing Arts Studio.