Watermelon Day, Stanhope, Iowa! Photos by Bob Kelly

Saturday, July 16th, found me out in the countryside to capture more Iowa Americana, on a very hot July day.  I pulled into the small, but typical, town of Stanhope, and noticed a sign proclaiming that this day was, "Watermelon Day."  I stopped and asked where, and was directed to the city park where most of the town had gathered!  There was a baseball game, food stands, music being played loudly, kids playing on inflatable equipment, and the watermelon stand!  The town purchases a truck load of watermelons from Fareway each year, and they sit in a refrigerated truck where they are kept a cool 40 degrees.

The watermelon was a cold, juicy, and as deliciously refreshing as it looked, and I had two pieces as I chatted with the guy below wearing the green Pioneer seed corn hat!

It sure was good, and these gals agreed!

One of the rides in the park was this old vintage passenger train that kept kids smiling!  It was a wonderful happy accident that I drove into Stanhope that day, but it sure was refreshing, not only for the delicious watermelon, but also for the friendly small town Iowa folks who make the Midwest what it is!