FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2002
South Carolina queens win back-to-back national titles
COLUMBIA---South Carolina grows the sweetest watermelons---and the most dynamic watermelon queens in the nation. South Carolina’s Watermelon Queens represent the state association regionally during their reign and then compete nationally for the National Watermelon Queen title.
Julie Bryant, the 2001 South Carolina Watermelon Queen, was recently crowned the 2002 National Watermelon Queen in New Mexico. Julie is from Greenville and is majoring in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg.
What makes this even more impressive for South Carolina is that the 2001 National Watermelon Queen was Misty James of Pelzer, South Carolina. Misty is planning a major in Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina now that her reign as the National Queen has ended.
This is the first time since 1987 that a state has won back-to-back titles at the National Watermelon Association annual meeting. The South Carolina watermelon industry is proud of these young ladies and the job that they have done representing our state.
While the South Carolina Watermelon Queens are beautiful, their role as ambassadors for the South Carolina Watermelon industry is hard work. The queen travels throughout the state and local region promoting the health and nutritional benefits of watermelon. She also reminds consumers that watermelon is just plain fun and helps to encourage consumption of this favorite summertime vegetable (a vegetable that thinks it’s a fruit) through retail appearances and major industry food show events.
The national title is a tremendous honor. The National Watermelon Queen tour covers the United States and parts of Canada each year. The National Queen is constantly on the go---meeting new customers, scheduling media appearances, and promoting watermelon to consumers across the country.
The South Carolina Watermelon Association congratulates both the 2002 National Queen, Julie Bryant, and the 2001 National Queen, Misty James, for their hard work and dedication to the South Carolina watermelon industry and to the national watermelon industry.
Young ladies interested in the South Carolina Watermelon Queen contest should contact Martin Eubanks at (803) 734-2200 at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture for the details. The event is held each January, and contestant space is limited.
Photo available upon request or download photo of Misty James and Julie Bryant.
