By Megan MELNYK

The people of Sunland and the surrounding areas were in for a sweet treat this past weekend with the continuation of a long-standing tradition. The 55th Annual California Watermelon Festival, which was held at the Hansen Dam Soccer Complex, brought many smiles and sticky fingers to attendees who celebrated the historic crop of the San Fernando Valley foothills.

“We grew up with the festival when it was still in Tujunga,” said Matt Winchester who attended with his family.

“We’re [still] pretty stoked about the free watermelon,” Julia Winchester added.

The festival, which originally took place in Sunland Park, moved to the Hansen Dam Soccer Complex four years ago, continuing its mission to be a gathering place for the community as well as a way to raise funds for various service-oriented non-profits.

This year, friends and family had the opportunity to enjoy all-you-can-eat watermelon, watch concerts and participate in various watermelon games. These included melon skiing, bungee pull, tug of war, melon sack carry, chariot racing and the iron man competition. Teams competed to win the 2017 Watermelon Games Trophy.

But competition extended beyond the local level to the international level. Five-time Guinness World Record holder Ron Sarchian made an appearance at the festival where he attempted to break an additional five world records throughout the weekend. These included most watermelons smashed by a punch in one minute, most watermelons split by a karate chop in one minute, most watermelons smashed by a roundhouse kick in one minute, most watermelons crushed with the thighs in one minute, and fastest time to crush three watermelons with the thighs.

On Saturday afternoon, Sarchian punched and smashed 78 watermelons in one minute, surpassing the previous world record of 70. The crowd cheered as it was announced that the previous record had been broken.

Although that was perhaps the main highlight of the weekend, the excitement was ongoing, especially for the kids as they had a chance to make crafts, visit the petting zoo and watch shows at the Melon-dramatic Children’s Theater.

“It’s a great place for people to spend time together, especially the families,” said Margarita Colocho, who brought her granddaughter. “I look forward to coming back next year.” 

  Megan MELNYK