Watermelon Drop Celebrating 10 Years

watermelon-drop-2017

The wildly wacky Watermelon Drop returns on New Year’s Eve
to downtown Vincennes. Located near the riverfront at First and Main
Street, the celebration will feature music by The Coatney’s, led by Casey
James Coatney, beginning at 9 p.m. in a giant heated tent, which will also
include a beer and wine sales area.

The 10th Annual Watermelon Drop has again attracted national attention. The
current issue of Country Woman magazine features a large photo of the
Watermelon Drop with the headline, “Countdown to Quirky.” The article
invites readers to “travel to places that make New Year’s Eve distinct,
dropping pies, pickles and watermelons at the stroke of midnight.”

Previously featured by CNN and CBS, Smithsonian magazine also included the
Watermelon Drop in its story, “From Possums to 200 Pounds of Bologna: Weird
Things Cities Drop on New Year’s Eve.” The article noted that crystal balls
aren’t the only things used to mark the New Year—in many places across the
United States, cities drop objects that reflect local flavor and culture,”
such as watermelons.

This year the entertainment tent will be near the “splatform” where 18
local watermelons will fall at midnight, accompanied by music and a
spectacular fireworks display. Illiana Watermelon Queen Katie Ellerman will
welcome the audience and reign over the Watermelon Drop.

“Where else but Vincennes can you watch a 500-pound watermelon rise high in
the sky as midnight approaches, culminating in Knox County watermelons
dropping on our “splatform”—including fireworks? Add to that our rock band
and Watermelon Queen and there really is no better way to ring in the New
Year,” said John Frenz, one of the founding members of the National
Watermelon Drop Committee.

In 2015, the Watermelon Drop was one of only two U.S. festivals listed by
the British publication, The Guardian, in its list of the world’s “best
small festivals,” as recommended by its readers. Joining the Watermelon
Drop were events from Germany, Ireland, Italy, France, Switzerland, and
Vietnam. The article, which featured a photo of Vincennes’ giant
watermelon.

The editors of the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor, Inc., listed
the event among in its 2011 “Top Ten Quirkiest New Year’s Eve Celebrations
in America”—a list that also included North Carolina’s Possum Drop and
Alabama’s Moon Pie Drop.

Since its creation in 2008, the 18-foot watermelon has become a star
attraction in Vincennes, including a popular entry in the town’s parades.
People enjoy sharing photographs and videos of themselves standing next to
the 18-foot-long watermelon too.