COLFAX, NC -- North Carolina summer turns up the sweetness! It's peak watermelon season, and in usual fashion the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market is serving up some tasty samples and family fun.
Watermelon Day is this Friday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the market, located on Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax.
Prior to the festivities, the 2018 Watermelon Queen, Katie Honeycutt, stopped by the WFMY News 2 Good Morning Show. She said to expect an excellent and extra-sweet watermelon harvest this year.
"We haven't had that much rain. It's been a really hot, dry summer, but something unique about watermelon farming is a lot of farmers irrigate. So, a hot dry summer is ideal, 'cause they can control how much water the plants and the fruits get. It has been a good to average year, and the watermelons are great," she said.
Honeycutt grew up helping her parents farm watermelon in Angier, east of Raleigh. She's a senior agriculture major at NC State University, and will use her title as this year's Watermelon Queen to educate North Carolinians about the value of the fruit.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture reports North Carolina is one of the top-10 states for watermelon production. Most grow in the coastal plain or northeast region, as they prefer sandy soils.