Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival - Sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club


Sunland-Tujunga 49th Annual
Watermelon Festival 2010

AUGUST 13-15, 2010

Sunland Park
8651 Foothill Blvd., Sunland, CA 91040

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2010

49th Annual Watermelon Festival Debuts

The WatermelonOmatic
A watermelon slicing machine…
the best invention since sliced bread!

Sunland, CA… Come join the fun and witness the debut of the Watermelon Festival’s original watermelonOmatic slicing machine!

The 49th Annual Watermelon Festival will debut local businessman Ara Zeithlian’s WatermelonOmatic slicing machine at the event being held at Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Boulevard, Sunland, California, 91040, August 13 through August 15, 2010. The Festival is sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club. For additional information, complete schedule and times log on to www.lionswatermelonfestival.com, www.facebook.com/watermelonfestival or call 818-353-4554.

Necessity, always the mother of invention, dictated the creation of the WatermelonOmatic. The machine creates uniform slices of the succulent melon and deposits them on to a conveyer belt at the speed of forty slices a minute. This best invention since sliced bread was created by Zeithlian who owns and operates the Breadmaster Bakery (www.breadmasters.com) in Pico Rivera. It is possibly the only industrial watermelon slicing machine in the world and saves the volunteers working in the Watermelon Pavilion’s free watermelon booth both time and energy. The long lines will be a thing of the past as the masses of melon lovers can pick up a slice right off the conveyor belt at a record breaking pace.

Zeithlian, a Lions Club member and director of the Watermelon Festival for the past three years also has other inventions to his name. One of them is a rotisserie oven that cooks twenty chickens at a time. He also builds and sells ovens specifically designed to bake flat bread. Using his knowledge of the yearly event and his expertise in manufacturing he created the new watermelon slicer specifically for Sunland-Tujunga’s annual Lions Club event.

Additional events featured at the Watermelon Pavilion include the Watermelon Spitway, the All-Day-Every-Day Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest with a $100 cash prize, watermelon carving demonstrations, the Watermelon Eating Contest and the Greased Watermelon Relay Race.

After filling up on watermelon the kids will love to visit the newly created KidsZone with pony rides, petting zoo, water slides, a sports cage, laser tag, and Spider Mountain. Or they can get their faces painted, laugh with the clowns and have fun in the shade with arts and crafts.

Also, don’t miss the coronation of the annual Watermelon Queen and her court on Friday and August 13 at 7:30, or enjoy the numerous musical acts and dance troupes non-stop on the main stage, eat in the International Food Court and shop in Marketplace, then check out all the rides and arcade games.

For additional information contact Marynance Schellenbach at stlionsclub@gmail.com or call 818-353-4554

For press credentials and interviews contact Marcia Groff at entmg@adelphia.net or call 310-310-3937. A video is also available upon request.


To: Lions District Newspaper "4L-1 Today"

July, 2010

Free watermelon!? Mark your calendars!

Sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club, the 49th annual Watermelon Festival will fill the days of August 13-15 with games, contests, entertainment, shopping, raffles, carnival rides, delicious food, cold beer and fantastic watermelon!

If your club is looking for a fund-raiser, take a few hundred raffle tickets and sell them for a dollar each. When you sell a minimum of 300, you keep half. The first prize is $500!

The KidZone is a new addition this year! There will be a kids stage with entertainment designed for the younger set, a petting zoo and pony rides, vendors with items kids will love, arts and crafts, and face painting. There will be dancers and clowns, balloons and magic.

Since we can count on hot weather and lots of it, several water attractions are being added in the KidZone. If you're bringing the kids with you, you might want to tote a towel and have them wear a swimsuit under their watermelon outfit.

There'll be folks on the lookout for the best watermelon wearable art, so dig out the sewing machine and whip up a classy summer outfit from fabric with a watermelon print. Show off your craft skills and decorate a hat, belt, bag or flipflops - or even a parasol! Applique that shirt and paint the sunglass frame! We'll be watching!

For more information contact Lion Marynance Schellenbach, 818-353-4554.



melonline


April 20, 2010
To: Long Range Publications

49th ANNUAL WATERMELON FESTIVAL

FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 14 & 15, 2010

SUNLAND PARK RECREATION CENTER, SUNLAND, CALFORNIA

FREE WATERMELON, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE, FOOD COURT, CARNIVAL RIDES, GAMES, RAFFLES, CONTESTS AND MORE…

PRESENTED BY THE SUNLAND-TUJUNGA LIONS CLUB

Sunland, CA…The 49th Annual Watermelon Festival, presented by the Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club, will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 13, 14 & 15, 2010 at the Sunland Park Recreation Center located at 8651 Foothill Boulevard, Sunland, California, 91040. The festival will feature free slices of watermelon, live entertainment, contests, a children’s entertainment center, a festival marketplace, food court, carnival rides, games and raffles. Tickets are $2.00. Festival hours are Friday from 5pm to 11pm, Saturday from noon to 11:30pm and Sunday from noon to 10:30pm. Proceeds from the annual event will benefit various Sunland-Tujunga youth and community activities, aid with disaster relief programs and support many regional, national and international health and vision conservation programs.

For more information, schedules and directions log on to www.lionswatermelonfestival.com or call 818-353-4554.

In addition to free watermelon slices,  the events entertainment includes contests for watermelon
recipes and growing watermelons; a greased melon relay race, a watermelon eating contest and an on-going seed spitting contest with cash prizes. There will be watermelon art contests for painted, carved and constructed melons and a display of watermelon carving. On-stage there will be the crowning of the 2010 Watermelon Court; dancing to the live music of local Southern California bands, and watermelon-themed poetry readings. A new addition this year will be a childrens’ center with a stage, face-painting and other attractions for the younger set. There will be a Festival Marketplace featuring arts and crafts, clothing, personal services and product marketing and an International Food Court, with a separate beer garden for adults near the stage. Carnival rides include seven new rides as well as the ferris wheel, rolo-plane and octopus. Pint side favorites include a merry-go-round and bumper cars. Additional attractions are a petting zoo and arcade games. Raffle prize drawings for cash and bonus prizes include tickets to sporting events, local southern California attractions, and dining certificates to sponsoring restaurants. Attendees may also trade in used eyeglasses and hearing aids for free raffle tickets to help people in developing countries.

The Sunland-Tujunga Lions Club was chartered in 1949 and in 1962 adopted red blazers as their official uniform. The annual Watermelon Festival raises money for the club that it uses to serve others. In 2009 they provided gift cards for groceries and other necessities for families who lost their homes in the Station Fire. They support youth and education by providing funds for athletic teams, debate, drama and dance clubs and journalism departments. Additionally the Redcoats help Scout Troops and Eagle Projects, the YMCA, the City of Hope, the  California Youth Theatrical Ballet, the Kiwanis Club Softball League and the Ronald McDonald House, among others. They help preserve sight and help the disabled by providing vision exams, eyeglasses and low cost hearing aids and in association with the Lions Club International organization, they assist with worldwide disaster relief funds for hospitals, clinics and research programs focusing on blindness and eye related diseases.

For additional information on the festival contact Marynance Schellenbach at lionswatermelon@yahoo.com or call 818-353-4554.

For press credentials contact Marcia Groff at entmg@adelphia.net or call 310-310-3973.



melonline




Watermelon Festival 2005
Read the press release issued for the 2005 Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival!
Read the Press Release

Watermelon Festival 2004
Read the press release issued for the Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Festival!
Read the Press Release  en Espaņol




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