Watermelon Tasting at Landmark Park

Matt Boster

Viewed: 1315

Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Jun 26 2017 11:07 AM

DOTHAN: Celebrate National Watermelon Month with Landmark Park during our Watermelon Harvest and Sampling on July 1 at 10 a.m. The WatermeLon Sampling is free with paid gate admission. Special thanks to Master Gardener and park volunteer Tom Boyle for coordinating this event each year. Watermelon is a favorite summertime fruit throughout the South. This juicy fruit can be red, yellow, pink, or dark pink on the inside and be seeded or seedless. Watermelon is a flowering ground vine from the gourd family.  

Over 1,000 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide. Producing the biggest fruit on the longest vines, the watermelon also has the longest history of any of the melons. The first recorded evidence of a watermelon crop occurred over 5,000 years ago in Egypt. Depicted in hieroglyphics, watermelons were placed in the tombs of the pharaohs. It was used as a source of water for thirsty traders and even became a source of funds as traders began to sell watermelon seeds in cities along the ancient Mediterranean trade routes. Watermelons were even used during the Civil War for the Confederate Army, they boiled them down to create a source of sugar and molasses.

A single watermelon is made up of 92% water and is packed with healthy nutrients. They are a good source of antioxidants like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber. Visit www.alwatermelon.org for more info on watermelons.

Landmark Park is a 135-acre natural science and history museum located on the outskirts of Dothan.  Features of the park include nature trails, a planetarium, playground, picnic areas, an elevated boardwalk, a turn-of-the-century farmstead with sheep, chickens, cows and other farm animals and crops typical of an 1890s farm.  In addition, the park includes a drugstore with operating soda fountain, one-room school, general store, and historic church, all preserved from the surrounding area. The park is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.  

Regular admission is $4 adults, $3 for children and is free for park members and children age 2 and under.  The park is located on U.S. Hwy 431 North, three miles north of Dothan’s Ross Clark Circle.  For more info, call 334-794-3452 or visit www.landmarkparkdothan.com.

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