The day went great! People showed up dressed for the event-- Sara and Ramon dyed shirts for themselves and Mr Ben that looked like watermelon; Isabella wore a watermelon print shirt; and others wore pink and green. All had tons of fun coloring, blowing bubbles, spitting seeds in the contest, and rolling the watermelon through the obstacle course. And we even ate some watermelon! In fact, we were so busy having fun, I forgot to gather in the little ones and read my fairy tale to them. The plan was to read it to them the way The Night Before Christmas is traditionally read on Christmas Eve in our family. But I forgot and have been asked to post it, so here is the story of The Day of the Melon...
The Day of the Melon
'Twas
the day of the melon and all through the town
No
one was smiling, not even the clown
The
fields were filled with a fruit so gigantic
That
they only brought one on the big ship Titanic
Pink
on the inside and green on the out
The
sweetness was awesome without a doubt
But
no one could get to these delicious fruits
The
fields were all muddy and no one had boots
They
tried to get out there with wagons and cars
But
no one could get there, no one got far
The
mayor said, "Simple, I'll drive out in my truck."
And
it didn't take long for him to get stuck.
The
fire chief sent for his men with a ladder
Five
men, ten, then 15 did not matter
Their
efforts heroic, valiant, and brave
But
even these experts the fruit could not save
The
weather was humid, sticky, and hot
The
people were scared that the melons would rot
The
summer, it seemed, would not end with a feast
Their
harvest was lost, their good luck had ceased
"Hey,
wait" yelled young Earl, the librarian's son
"Don't
give up yet. This still can be done!"
He
held up one finger and said, "I have a plan."
"I'll
need the help of every woman, child and man."
"Yes!"
yelled the mayor, "Use any resources,
Our
police and fire, their cars, trucks, and horses!"
So
young Earl spoke and the people they listened
They
smiled at his plan and watched his eyes glisten
While
he told them to go and be quick on their feet
To
raid every shoe box for the packs marked Do Not Eat
Then
bring them back here and we'll open them all
And
from those we collect from your homes and the mall
We
can spread on the fields to dry up the muck
And
bring in the melons with hard work and some luck
So
the packets were gathered by townsfolk so busy
And
the fields were sprinkled then sounded all fizzy
By
three in the PM it was clear Earl's plan
Was
a rousing success and the harvest began
The
fruit was brought in and the people felt blessed
They
praised the young boy and proclaimed EarlFest
But
this modest lad would not have it their way
So
at his request it's called Watermelon Day
