A U G U S T
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the
Watermelon Update
If a crisis situation arises, call 877-599-9595 immediately
Marine Corps
Marathon
(October 24-27)
PMA Fresh Summit in
NOLA is Almost Here!
NWPB and NWA are excited to
sponsor the Marine Corps
Marathon in Washington, D.C. for
the first time ever! Watermelon
samples, J. Slice, and watermelon
queens will be making appearances
at the Health Expo, Kids Fun Run,
and the Finish Festival. We are also
excited to have J. Slice compete in
the mascot games and “Run, Eat,
Repeat” blogger Monica be a
marathon participant all in the
name of watermelon. The “Jump
with Jill” gang has also donated a
free show to the winner of the Kids
Fun Run. It’s going to be a fun
weekend! For more information on
the marathon, visit:
http://www.marinemarathon.com
The annual Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit expo
will be held October 19-20th in New Orleans, Louisiana. The
NWPB booth, #1018, will once again feature watermelon
mastermind Chef Joe Poon, National Watermelon Queen Amber
Nolin, and feature new recipes to sample with help of Chiquita &
Cal-Giant. The annual watermelon industry reception will be held
at Bourbon Heat located near the infamous Cat’s Meow lounge on
Bourbon Street where you will surely “turn the heat up” on the
dance floor and have a guaranteed good time. We are still in the
planning phases so stay tuned for more information in the next
update. If you need discount PMA show floor passes, please fill
out the form and return to Juliemar Rosado either by fax at
407-657-2213 or email jrosado@watermelon.org. Please note the
discount pass price has increased to $195. The form can also be
downloaded in the industry section of our website.
Points of Interest
PMA 2013
New Orleans,
Louisiana
Discount pass order
form available!
Cloudy with a
Chance of
Meatballs 2
Fruit Loose!
Watermelon
Friends & Fans!
Social media
influencers are in love
with watermelon!
WATERMELON UPDATE
AUGUST 2013
Chef Poon, The National Watermelon
Queen, & Watermelon Unite!
With the help of the watermelon industry, the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club
makes a smooth transition into a larger venue at a historic location for their
annual event.
The 52nd annual Watermelon Festival sponsored by the
Sunland/Tujunga Lions Club took place at the Rose Bowl in
Pasadena for the first time ever August 16-18th. It is the longest
running and largest non-profit festival in Southern
California. Throughout the entire weekend, thousands of watermelon
lovers feasted on free watermelon, listened to music, and indulged in
watermelon eating and seed spitting contests. In addition, there was
standing room only for watermelon carving demonstrations featuring
celebrity Chef Joe Poon. Local area Chefs and student chefs from the
local culinary institutes were also featured in additional carving and
culinary demonstrations.
Over 40,000 pounds of locally grown watermelon were provided by
members of the Western Watermelon Association, including Van
Groningen and Sons, C.H. Robinson, Perry & Sons, Dulcinea, and
Pappas Family Farms.
Comprehensive TV and radio coverage before and during the Festival
featured interviews with both Chef Poon and the National
Watermelon Association’s reigning National Watermelon Queen
Amber Nolin, from Enterprise, Alabama. American Idol host Ryan
Seacrest also interviewed Amber for his broadcast On Air with Ryan
Seacrest on KIIS-FM radio.
This year’s success assures west coast watermelon lovers of an even
bigger event next August.
National Watermelon Display Contest – Deadline Approaching
There is still time to submit your July watermelon display for the contest! Entries must be received no
later than September 6, 2013. Entries can be mailed to the NWPB offices or emailed (preferred) to
watermeloncontests@gmail.com. Good luck!
Newsworthy Quotes from our Social Media Channels:
Blog: “Most of the kids I work with hate veggies. In the past, when I’ve told them that watermelons are actually
considered vegetables (also that corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers are considered fruit) it has changed their opinion
about the vegetable world. They appear less eager to reject other veggies and try new ones. So thank you,
Watermelon, my fregetable friend.”
Facebook: “Thank you for the healthy inspiration. Decorated watermelon birthday cake - now there's a change!”
Twitter: “If you cut it, they will eat it. #WatermelonRules”
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WATERMELON UPDATE
AUGUST 2013
Watermelon Friends & Fans Abound!
Social media influencers are in love with watermelon and are telling the story in their own words
Watermelon has been a huge hit this summer, from being spotted on restaurant menus galore to being
bragged about in the blogosphere, Twitterverse and social landscape constantly. NWPB has contracted with
a selected group of bloggers to tell the watermelon story to their audiences along the lines of healthy recipes
and carvings. This is not the same as online advertising; our key
watermelon messages are just the foundation. Each influencer
adapts the message to his or her own voice, and then personalizes,
creates and adds to the message with unique recipe and carving
ideas, essentially spreading the watermelon love to a loyal and
listening audience. We recommend you poke around the social
spaces of these bloggers to see how they adapted the watermelon
message and grew a fan out of us:
- Run, Eat, Repeat (hyperlink all of these)
- Mother Would Know
- Nutrition Expert
- Savory Simple
- Wholesome Mommy
- Nutrition Twins
- Family Spice
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
FRUIT LOOSE!
Bob Morrissey with the National Watermelon Association (NWA) visited the NWPB offices in early July. He
is pictured here with staff members of the NWPB, Mark Arney and Stephanie Barlow. One of the many agenda
topics discussed with Bob during his visit included the NWPB’s involvement in the promotion with Sony
Picture's movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2, scheduled for release in September. Pictured are two items
featuring the “watermelophant” stuffed toy (held by Morrissey) and poster (held by Arney). This is the sequel
to the successful 2009 #1 animated hit with over $245 million in box office earnings. It was also the #1 movie
on its opening weekend in 18 countries and has since sold 3.6 million DVDs. By partnering with Feeding
America, the current movie’s produce partners are helping to solve hunger by donating thousands of pounds of
fresh produce to families and children in need. This is one of the largest cause-related marketing efforts in fresh
produce tied to a major file release. Go to http://www.watermelon.org/Cloudy-with-a-Chance-of-Meatballs2.aspx to enter your unique code found in specially marked packages for a chance to win great prizes and see
how you can help in your community.
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WATERMELON UPDATE
AUGUST 2013
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THE WATERMELON UPDATE
AUGUST 2013
National Watermelon Promotion Board
3361 Rouse Road, Suite 150
Orlando, FL 32817
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update via email?
Email us at
jrosado@watermelon.org