NEWBERRY, Fla. (WCJB) -For many, watermelons are more than a summer fruit — they’re a source of livelihood. That’s the message organizers of the 81st Annual Newberry Watermelon Festival said they hoped to highlight this year, as the longtime tradition once again drew big crowds.
The event, billed as the longest-running watermelon festival in the United States, featured a full slate of activities centered on local agriculture and community traditions — including parades, a pageant, seed spitting and plenty of watermelon eating.
“We do still have agriculture here, we’re not just neighborhoods and shops,” one festivalgoer said…